By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI – Scores of hoodlums yesterday blocked the ever-busy Owerri-Okigwe federal highway and burnt 30 vehicles using the road, when they struck.

An indigene of Ihube, Okigwe local council of the state, who identified himself as Okechukwu (surname withheld), told Vanguard on phone, that “the situation in the area is terrible”.

His words: “The hoodlums took everybody by storm. Traffic on this busy road was stalled for the greater part of yesterday morning. Honestly, the situation in the area is terrible. I have not seen a thing like this before.

“You can start seeing burnt vehicles from around Umuna area to a very short distance to Okigwe Junction, on the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway. I can conservatively put the number of vehicles burnt at about 35.

“Owners of trucks, carrying chippings, were the most hit. As at 2.35pm when I left the area, some of the vehicles were still smouldering.”

Asked to hazard a guess on who was responsible for the Thursday morning mayhem, Okechukwu said: “People are suspecting members of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, but nobody can vividly say what their grouse is.”

Confirming the incident also, a native of Achi, Oji River local government area of Enugu State, who craved anonymity said: “My friend, who was to meet me in Owerri, had to go back to Enugu, when his driver got wind of what was happening ahead of them.

“I must tell you that several vehicles, particularly trucks, were burnt by the rampaging hoodlums. I was able to count about 50 vehicles that were burnt.

“We started experiencing signs of the mayhem from around Umuna. All shops along the road were locked. People scampered to safety, while vehicular movement on the Owerri-Okigwe road was almost zero.

“I didn’t see any corpse on the road. They may have been removed before we drove past the affected area, if there was any casualty. We only saw army vehicles ferrying armed soldiers to unknown destinations.

“The soldiers did not disturb vehicles playing the road. All I can say that they must have had definite instructions on what to do.
“The Okigwe-Enugu axis was free for vehicular movement, as at 3.30pm when we used it.”
Efforts to reach the Imo State Police Command’s image maker, Mr. Henry Okoye, for comments failed, as his phone was switched off before press time.