Palpable fear has spread across the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi Community following constant invasion of the hospital by the military men from the 302 Military Cantonment Onitsha.
Residents said since May 30, when the Biafra Day event held in commemoration of heroes of the Nigerian Civil War, which turned bloody, with scores of people shot dead, the hospital had not been in full operation till the time of filling this report.
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that there was near stampede in the hospital on Wednesday when he visited the hospital to see his brother, who was a victim of stray bullet during the incident.
He said: “My brother was returning from Lagos that early morning because he came back with a night bus but unfortunately, during the shooting that ensued, he got hit while scampering for the safety by a stray bullet. He was later assisted by the residents of the area after the Army left with scores of the wounded and dead victims, to a private hospital before we were contacted”.
“When we got to the hospital, they demanded for police report before he would be treated so we rushed him to the University Teaching Hospital, because he was bleeding profusely.
“To my greatest surprise, while we are waiting there at the emergency ward with other victims of the incident numbering about 14 a team of stern looking soldiers arrived the hospital in a convoy of about four Hilux vans and insisted on taking the victims with bullet wounds away but the hospital management refused”. “In the ensuing argument, the soldiers started shooting sporadically into the air and everybody scampered to safety”.
“They succeeded in taking some of the victims away while some with minor injuries managed to escape.” Efforts to get the Public Relation Officer of the University Teaching Hospital, proved abortive, but the police in Nnewi confirmed the clampdown on the pro-Biafra agitators
