Five people were feared dead on Friday when gunmen invaded the Osumenyi community in the Nnewi South local government area of Anambra state, southeastern Nigeria.
According to reports, the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m.
Ikechukwu Enyi, a resident of the area, told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen opened fire on some people who were drinking at a beer hall.
“It happened around 8:30 pm They (gunmen) arrived at the Uto Ndu brewery and started shooting at the people who were there,” Enyi said.
He said the brewery’s owner, a woman, was among those killed by the gunmen.
“I couldn’t get that close to count the bodies, but there were up to five people (who died),” he said.
Another resident, who asked not to be identified, said gunmen have been killing people in the area, but authorities appear to be silent.
“Some people, who escaped, were seriously injured. Three to five people died, but the number of victims may increase,” he said.
PREMIUM TIMES saw a viral video clip of the incident, in which about three bodies were evacuated by some residents in a Sienna vehicle.
Some relatives of the victims were heard lamenting the murder of their loved ones by the gunmen.
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“My brothers that I brag to, where are they, where are they now?” a woman was heard wailing as she wept.
When contacted, Anambra state police spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga said he was not aware of the attack.
“I don’t have such a report before me,” Ikenga told PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday night.
Gunmen attacks have increased in the southeast in recent times. The latest attack comes about a month after gunmen killed a security guard during an attack on the local government headquarters.
The Nigerian government accused the Outcast Indigenous People of Biafra of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the southeast. But the group has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.
The separatist group is leading the agitation for the formation of an independent Biafra state from south-east and some parts of south-south Nigeria.
The leader of the secessionist group, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently detained in Abuja, where he is facing trial for treason.