By Onyekachi Eze
All is obviously not well in Owerri, the Imo State capital, following the high level of insecurity that has bedeviled the State.
Although the State of unrest, as orchestrated by arson, murder, indiscriminate arrests and detention could be said to be a National issue, but it cannot be overlooked in Imo as residents recorded more casualties from stray bullets.
Among the worrisome factors associated with Owerri as it stands now is the fear of military and police presence.
For the past one month, it had been all men on the run whenever a military vehicle is sighted anywhere.
Whether or not they come for an arrest or vigilante keeping is no longer the story, as to majority of Owerri residents, there could be strange gun battle thereby sending many to hospitals as effect of stray bullets.
Last week, a 300 level student of Imo State University Owerri, Sociology department was gunned down by stray bullet along the Naze junction while returning from afternoon examination.
Other similar cases were the death of a business mogul from Ngor Okpala who was sent to his early grave by a bullet at Amakohia.
Similarly, the fiasco at Douglas road where a young IMSU graduate lost his life at that fateful night.
Recently, a Nigerian based in Germany was killed on his way to Sam Mbakwe airport en route Germany by bullet from reportedly security men.
A certain man, Nwatakwaochaa from Ikeduru LGA was also a victim of the mayhem as he dropped dead through gun duel.
However, following the instances above, residents are fleeing away from the presence of army to avoid being victims of such circumstance.
At Orji axis on Monday, people were forced to run uncontrollably without any tangible reason when asked. It was discovered that they sighted the advancement of army vans, and all ran away.
In a related development, residents and shop owners along the relief market road shut down because the army men parked at the Princess-In hotel junction and alighted. These are few insights to the day-to-day living in Owerri since the norm changed coupled by massive arrests of youths in search for “Unknown gunmen”.
