/ Aug 16, 2026
/ Aug 16, 2026

Landmine Kills Woman, Injures Five in Imo Market Explosion

Published on

By

A tragic explosion at Eke Ubaheze Market Square in Awo-Idemili, Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State, has claimed the life of a market woman, Mrs Ngozi Umeh, and left five others injured.

The blast occurred around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday during active trading, reportedly after Mrs Umeh stepped on a planted landmine. While official sources confirm one fatality, some locals insist that two people died in the incident.

Imo State Police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, stated on Wednesday that the landmine was allegedly planted by suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

Okoye who confirmed the incident to our correspondent said Mrs Umeh was rushed immediately to the hospital where she gave up the ghost adding that the five injured persons are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

According to him, the state Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, upon receipt of the incident, immediately deployed operatives from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit who swept the area for yet-to-be-identified explosives and after screening, declared the place safe.

Read Also:

Borno suicide bomb attack: Six killed, 15 injured, U.S. Mayor condemn act

Okoye said normal business activities had resumed under increased police surveillance.

He said, “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. She was critically injured and later confirmed dead at the hospital, while five others sustained varying degrees of injuries and are receiving medical attention.

“Upon receipt of the distress call, the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, Aboki Danjuma, swiftly deployed operatives of the command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, tactical teams, and personnel from Orsu and Orlu Divisions to cordon off the area, evacuate victims, and sweep the market vicinity for any other planted IEDs. The area has since been declared safe, and normal activities have resumed under enhanced security surveillance.”

Meanwhile, the Imo police boss, Danjuma, has commiserated with the family of Mrs Umeh and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured victims.

He however restated the commitment of the Imo State Police Command to weed out all criminals threatening the peace of Orsu and Imo State as a whole.

The police spokesperson assured the state that adequate security measures had been put in place against a recurrence adding that they should go about their lawful activities.

Furthermore, he called on Imo people to strongly report any suspicious items, persons, or movements to the nearest police station or via the Command’s emergency number 08034773600.

Also, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department has been directed to commence a comprehensive investigation to unmask and apprehend the perpetrators.

You May Like

2 thoughts on “Landmine Kills Woman, Injures Five in Imo Market Explosion

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Most Popular

Must Read

Arsenal players celebrate their 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City at the Principality Stadium.

Arsenal thrash Man City 3-0 to lift Community Shield

Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield on Sunday, giving Mikel Arteta an early-season triumph while condemning new City boss Enzo Maresca to defeat in his first game in charge in the traditional curtain-raiser to the campaign.   With their fourth victory over City in the fixture, Arsenal maintained their 100% win record over their opponents with an emphatic performance at the Principality Stadium, where Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard found the net. “We showed our level today, we showed that we’re ready,” Odegaard told TNT Sports. “I think we showed that we’re serious, we want to do it again. There’s more trophies to go for and that’s the aim.” Having failed to convince in pre-season performances that raised a few eyebrows, Arsenal exploded into action with devastating effect right from kick-off, needing just 23 seconds to silence any lingering doubts about their readiness. Myles Lewis-Skelly was deployed in midfield and he threaded an excellent pass to set up left-back Calafiori, who calmly finished past Gianluigi Donnarumma to give Arsenal the perfect start against the FA Cup champions. The early strike — the first goal scored in the opening minute of the fixture in 58 years — set the tone for a dominant display where Arsenal looked fitter, sharper, more confident and full of attacking verve. Arsenal celebrate first premier league title since 2004 with massive parade City did not have a clear opportunity until the 20th minute, when Phil Foden curled a shot from range but David Raya was up to the task, diving to his right to deny the midfielder, and later saved a shot from Erling Haaland. Arsenal doubled their lead when Odegaard floated in a cross to the far post, where new signing Christos Tzolis headed the ball back across goal for Havertz to head home, with Donnarumma accidentally spilling the ball over the line. Arsenal needed just three minutes after the restart to make it 3-0, with Tzolis grabbing his second assist when he set up Odegaard, whose delicate first touch took the ball past Josko Gvardiol before he beat a wrong-footed Donnarumma with ease. Maresca’s side showed only flashes of their attacking threat, but Raya stood firm to preserve a clean sheet while Haaland — last season’s Golden Boot winner with 27 goals — was kept quiet and withdrawn before the hour mark. Arsenal kick off the new Premier League campaign on Friday against Coventry City, and Odegaard said they were going to play on the front foot to defend their crown. “We’re going to attack it. We want to do it again. It was an unbelievable achievement and experience for all of us,” he said. “When you get the taste of how nice it is, you want to do it again. And there’s also a few other ones we want to take,” he added, referring to the Champions League title that slipped through their fingers in the final against Paris Saint-Germain. “At this club, you want to win all of them. But of course, that’s a big one.” The Gunners’ victory over the FA Cup holders gave them their second trophy in four months and their 18th Community Shield title overall. The match was played at the Principality Stadium while Wembley hosts Canadian singer The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours til Dawn’ tour.
Read more

Editor's Pick

Trending News

Newsletter

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

You have been successfully Subscribed! Ops! Something went wrong, please try again.

© 2026 GongNews. All Rights Reserved.