Fear among northerners living in Owerri, the Imo State capital, has heightened following the killing of eight Nigeriens by members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The attack occurred on Monday when the assailants attacked a building at Orogwe, Owerri, occupied by mainly Hausa migrants from Nigeria and the Niger Republic.
The northerners said the building was attacked because IPOB took all of them living in the area to be migrants from the North, not knowing the victims were foreigners.
They told Daily Trust that they have become afraid for their lives due to the frequent attacks on them by IPOB and its security arm affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
An eyewitness, Abubakar Muhammad, said the gunmen had earlier visited the Hausa community at Orogwe Monday evening where they interacted with the Hausa people in the area.
He said, “When they came that evening, they were not carrying arms. They exchanged pleasantries with people; we didn’t even know they were gunmen. But in the night, they came back shooting our people. They killed seven people on the spot, eight people were wounded, and one additional person died in the hospital. We buried them the following day (Tuesday),” he said.
