IPOB Member ‘Mercilessly Beaten To Death’ In Imo, Police Reveal

A member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been reportedly lynched by an angry mob in Umuagbavo Oru Ahiara, Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area, Imo State.

Obinwanne Iwu, 34, was ‘beaten to death’ on Monday when he and other IPOB members allegedly stormed a market in the community to enforce the sit-at-home order recently declared by the separatist group.

The Imo State Police Command, in a statement on Tuesday, said the IPOB members had attempted to loot the shops that opened for business.

Spokesperson for the command, Michael Abattam, said Obinwanne and his gang chanted “today is Monday and everybody must obey the sit at home order” during the alleged attack.

The statement reads: “On 20/09/2021 at about 0745hrs, while residents of Umuagbavo Oru Ahiara in Ahiazu Mbaise LGA of Imo State, came out of their houses for their daily business activities.

“Shops were opened and people were going about their lawful businesses. When one Obinwanne Iwu ‘m’ age 34 years, a native Ahiara in Ahiazu Mbaise LGA of Imo State, an escapee of Imo Correctional Centre Owerri and a member of the proscribed IPOB/ESN terror group, came to the market with members of his gang attacking, looting opened shops and forcing people to lock up their shops and preventing them from doing their legitimate businesses.

“Shouting at the top of their voices “today is Monday and everybody must obey the sit at home order”. This did not go down well with the people who resisted it in its entirety.

“the pandemonium that ensured (sic), angry mobs in their numbers held the leader of the gang, one Obinwanne Iwu tied his hands behind, while others fled the scene into hiding. In the process, he was mercilessly beaten to death, before the police patrol team arrived the scene. 

“Efforts made by the police patrol team to arrest the perpetrators proved abortive as they all fled the scene on sighting the patrol team. 

“The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Rabiu Hussaini psc, while condemning the barbaric act, advised members of the public to always hand over suspects to the Police for proper investigation and prosecution. Instead of taking the laws into their hands.”

However, IPOB had on different occasions distanced itself from people enforcing the sit-at-home order having called it off.