Tension has erupted in Onitsha following reports that operatives of the OCHA Brigade allegedly opened fire in the bustling Onitsha Main Market, specifically at the Emeka Offor Plaza axis, resulting in the deaths of four individuals, including a pregnant woman, on Tuesday, September 9.
The OCHA Brigade is a state-run enforcement agency in Anambra, responsible for ensuring environmental sustainability, enforcing government policies related to cleanliness and order, and improving the overall health of the state.
The conflict reportedly began when the brigade entered the market and instructed some traders to remove their goods. An argument ensued, which unfortunately escalated, leading to the gunfire that claimed the lives of four people.
“This is heartbreaking. Four innocent people who left their homes this morning have been cut down in cold blood. Among them is a pregnant woman. Anambra people are now living in fear because criminals have been handed guns and uniforms in the name of government enforcement’’a distraught trader said
The state governor nor the state police command is yet to react to this development. Meanwhile some traders in the market have staged a protest over the incident.