The police said that others in the group who participated in the looting while enforcing a sit-at-home order, fled the scene thereby escaping People’s anger.
In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Michael Abattam said that the deceased Obinwanne was an escapee IPOB member from Nigeria Correctional Service in Imo State.
“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. “In the pandemonium that ensued, 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” the statement partly read.
The command said that all efforts to arrest the suspects proved abortive as they fled upon sighting the police patrol team.
While condemning the act, the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Hussaini appealed to the residents to avoid taking laws into their hands. “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. “He then, set up an investigating team from the State Criminal Intelligence Investigation Department (SCIID) of the command to commence investigation into the mob action.”
