Heavy Shootings To Control Crowd At Zenith Bank Onitsha, One Arrested

By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha

There were heavy shootings Tuesday, by the police, to control the crowd that surged at Zenith bank PLC, along Newmarket road, Onitsha, Anambra State.

It was gathered that the police that was guarding the bank, intervened when the queues were disorganized and tried to control the crowd but to no avail

As the police made frantic efforts to control the crowd, their efforts yielded no positive result and the police as a last resort, reportedly started shooting into the air to scare the crowd and restore a peaceful atmosphere in the bank.

With the shootings, sanity was immediately restored and one of those said to have been causing the disorganization was immediately arrested and whisked off to the Onitsha Central Police Station.

A customer who pleaded anonymity told this paper that he came to the bank at about 6.30 am but had stayed up to two hours but have not received any money from the bank.

“The crowd is much and those of us who came here around 6.30 am have not been given any money. We queued up and as the crowd surged, the queues became disorganized and efforts made by the police were in vain.

” In their bid to restore sanity, one of them shot severally into the air and on the process, arrested one of the customers who was among those causing the disorderliness and whisked him away in a waiting van,” he further disclosed.

Also speaking, another customer, a woman who simply identified herself as Mrs Janet Nnatue, said that she ran away on hearing the shootings to save her life.

“It was getting to my turn before the crowd surged at the entrance gate and efforts made by the police to control them proved abortive and the police had to shoot into the air to restore sanity.

“It was at this juncture of the shooting that I ran away mainly to avoid being hit by stray bullet, she stated.

Contacted on the incident, the Onitsha Central Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mr. Ifeanyi Ibru, (SP), said he was in a meeting and would get to the reporter later.