NEWS: Imo residents keep vigil as armed robbers take over streets

Residents living on Douglas road, Ama-JK, Ikenegbu, Royce, Njamanze, Orji, Amakohia, Akwakuma and MCC road in Owerri, the Imo State capital, are now keeping vigil against unknown gunmen whose activities had wreaked havoc in the state.

 correspondent who interacted with some of the residents reports that the crisis-prone areas seemed to have experienced relative peace as residents now thread with caution.

A provisions seller who lives in Amakohia said, “you can see that people are now closing their shops early for fear of the unknown gunmen. Because no one knows when they will strike.

“I used to close my shop by 11pm but not anymore. This time around, I close by 8pm. I have to save my life.”

The woman who refused her name in print recalled the series of armed robbery and kidnapping incidents that had taken place in the past couple of weeks.

She said, “my neighbour was recently kidnapped. She was released just last week after the family paid a huge sum for ransom.

“There is virtually no day that passes without any case of robbery or kidnapping in Owerri. We are really scared of the situation.

“The government, on its own, is not doing well in arresting the situation. They should know that peoples lives are involved and beef up the security architecture.”

A survey along the Orji, MCC and Douglas areas of the state capital revealed that traders occupying the busy roads have taken the same step of closing up their wares on time because, according to them, the bandits often strike at night.