Gunmen storm Owerri Market, dispossess traders of millions of naira

Armed robbers in their numbers, at the weekend, stormed the popular and ever-busy Rotibi Street, off Douglas Road, in Owerri capital city of Imo State, dispossessing traders of millions of Naira. The Guardian gathered that they arrived at about 6 p.m, all wearing mask and shooting sporadically into the air, scaring away passersby and carting away large sums of money.

In recent times, Douglas Road, which has a major market in the heart of the city, Ekeukwu, has witnessed an upsurge of armed robbers, who forcefully dispossess people of their money and items. About the same Christmas period last year, a big distributor in the area was dispossessed by hoodlums of huge sum of money, which he had intended to take to the bank.

A victim, who makes huge sales daily, recounted his ordeal, urging security agencies to come to their aide. “We saw some hooded men invade the market. At first, we thought they were wearing them because of the harmattan. Suddenly, they brought out big guns and started shooting into the air. They entered the shop and forcefully asked us to surrender all our money.”

Meanwhile, many traders in the area on Monday were vigilant, discussing the losses they incurred last Saturday. They were also seen holding meetings on how to put security measures within the area.