Imo Police Command said three out of five persons attacked and shot on Thursday by armed bandits in front of their compound at Umuebele Okporo in Orlu, Imo State have died.

Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ahmed Barde, in a statement, revealed the victims were meeting in front of their compound around 8am on Thursday when gunmen operating in a red Toyota Sienna vehicle without registration number shot at them severally and zoomed off almost immediately to an unknown destination.

“Consequently, three persons died on the spot while two others sustained various degrees of bullet wounds and were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The corpses were later recovered and deposited in the mortuary,” he said.

The police boss said investigation is ongoing that the community and its environ had been fortified with more security personnel.

While reassuring the community of police support, he appealed to Imo residents to go about their lawful businesses without fear or molestation as calm has been restored in the community.

Imo state government has declared that the state controlled Vigilance Group was not responsible for the recent killing of three family members in Okporo, Orlu local government area.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba, in a statement in Owerri deplored the allegation making the rounds that the Vigilance Group carried out the killing.

He said it was ironical that members of the Vigilance Group being accused of the killing actually took the wounded to the hospital when they were informed of the attack.

He described as unfortunate and provocative the haste with which enemies of the state government rushed to the press to level accusations against it, apparently to score cheap political points.