One person was killed and five others were injured after a landmine detonated within Eke Ubaheze Market Square in Awo-Idemili, Orsu LGA, Imo state, on Tuesday.
Ngozi Umeh, a merchant from Ubaheze village, was said to have died in the explosion, which happened at around 2:40 pm.
Although authorities verified just one death, locals said there were two.
Imo Police Command spokesperson Henry Okoye told The Intercept that members of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed branch, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), were accused of planting the landmine.
Okoye said Umeh was critically injured by the explosion and later died in the hospital.
He added that the five injured victims are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed medical facility.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the explosion occurred when Ngozi Umeh ‘F’, a middle-aged woman from Ubaheze village, stepped on a landmine suspected to have been planted by IPOB/ESN terrorist,” he said.
“She was critically injured and later confirmed dead at the hospital, while five others sustained varying degrees of injuries and are receiving medical attention.”
The police spokesperson said Aboki Danjuma, the state commissioner of police, deployed the command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit and tactical teams to the area following a distress call.
Personnel from Orsu and Orlu divisions also responded to evacuate victims and sweep the market for other explosive devices.
The police spokesperson said the market has since been declared safe and normal activities have resumed under heightened security.
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Danjuma also extended condolences to the family of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
He reaffirmed the command’s will to eradicate criminal elements from Orsu and other regions of the state.
Okoye encouraged the locals to carry on with their everyday routines fearlessly, assuring them that precautions had been taken to avoid a repetition.
The public should report suspicious people, things, or movements to the closest police station or by calling the command’s emergency number, 08034773600, he said.
In the meantime, the State Criminal Investigation Department’s (SCID) deputy commissioner of police has been ordered to launch a comprehensive investigation in order to find and apprehend the attackers.
