There was tension and apprehension in Aba, the commercial centre of Abia state, on Thursday, as an unspecified number of soldiers were feared killed by yet-to-be-identified gunmen at a military checkpoint/post in Aba.
The incident that happened at the Obikabia Junction in Obingwa Local Councils of the state is yet to be determined if the gunmen were members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
Meanwhile, the IPOB had warned the people of the South-east to stay indoors between the 29th and 31st of May 2024 to mark Biafra Day and in memory of their dead.
An eyewitness said the gunmen used tinted glass cars, which made the soldiers to be taken unaware.
By the time the soldiers knew what was happening, the source said, “it was already late for them to act. They made attempts to withstand the group but were overpowered and we understand that they went away with their weapons.
“It appears as if the gunmen had someone monitoring the soldiers and giving information to their colleagues as it was learnt that the soldiers were sitting down in the outpost when the gunmen who had slowed down alighted from their cars and started shooting at them, giving them no space to face the group.”
They were said to have set the outpost and two army patrol vans ablaze and in the process, a 25-year-old young man was hit by stray a bullet and was rushed for medical attention immediately the gunmen left the scene.
All possible efforts to get the reactions of the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Maureen Chinaka; the Commissioner of Police, CP Kenechukwu Onwumelie; the Commander, Abia State Homeland Security, Chukwunenye Anajemba, and government media persons; and Army sources, proved abortive as some were not picking, and others assured of getting back to the reporter.
Official statement from the military is still being expected and as at the time of filing the report, police helicopter and military aircraft were sighted hovering around the city centre following the ugly incident, while a security agent who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the gunmen cannot be linked to the IPOB group, as it is only a thorough investigation that will reveal that, adding, “You can’t rule out IPOB members, but some other groups; armed robbers, kidnapping gang looking for arms and weapons can take advantage of the sit-at-home to carry out such act.”
Meanwhile, candidates of the ongoing SSCE conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) still sat for their examination despite earlier threats from the IPOB that the examination should be rescheduled.
However, banks, offices, and markets were also closed in adherence to the sit-at-home order of the IPOB.
Reacting, the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), condemned the attack on the military, describing it as “barbaric, wicked and condemnable in its entirety”.
According to the President General of the group, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, “This attack is the handiwork of criminal elements hiding under the cover of Biafra struggle to perpetuate crime and destabilize Governor Otti’s government but their plans are dead on arrival”.
They called on Governor Alex Otti “to remain resolute and steadfast in his determination to make Abia better while working hard to bring to book those enemies of Abia who are hell-bent on destroying the peace Abians are currently enjoying”.
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