Gunmen on Friday killed no fewer than seven persons in coordinated attacks on three communities, Umualoma, Ndiakunwanta, and Ndiejezie, in Arondizuogu, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State. The gunmen, who were said to have operated on a motorbike, shot sporadically, leaving several villagers with gunshot wounds. Sources told that the victims included shop owners, their customers, and passersby. The police blamed suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed wing, Eastern Security Network for the attacks. A community source, who pleaded anonymity, said the victims were either drinking at bars, selling goods, attending to customers, or playing draught when the attackers struck. The source said, “The people who died were in different bars drinking, or were the people selling and attending to their customers. I heard they also shot at people who were playing a draft game to while away time. As I speak to you, about 12 people are lying dead, and many are critically injured due to running to seek safety.” The state Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, saying seven persons were confirmed dead and several others injured. He said normalcy had returned to the affected communities following the deployment of security operatives and tactical teams to the area. He said the attack occurred during the early hours of Friday, July 25, 2025, at Ndi-Ejezie, Umualaoma, and Ndiakuwata Uno in Arondizuogu. “The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma, has strongly condemned the gruesome attack carried out by gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed IPOB/ESN… at Ndi-Ejezie, Umualaoma, and Ndiakuwata Uno, all in Arondizuogu, Ideato North LGA,” the statement read. “The senseless assault, which claimed the lives of over seven persons and left several others critically injured, was described by the CP as barbaric, inhumane, and totally unacceptable. He assured the public that the Command has deployed adequate operational and intelligence assets to identify, apprehend, and bring the perpetrators to justice.” The CP, according to the statement, led tactical units to comb the affected areas and affirmed that the situation was under control.