- 2 soldiers allegedly killed, army van, Keke burnt
From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
This year’s May 30 sit-at-home turned bloody in Abia State as two soldiers were reportedly killed by gunmen said to be monitoring compliance of the sit-at-home said to be 100 percent observed in the city.
In the Umuahia, the state capital, the story was different as the sit-at-home order was partially observed in the morning hours.
Reports from Aba, Abia State indicated that violence erupted in the commercial city as unknown gunmen enforcing the sit-at-home attacked some soldiers in the city.
The gunmen, operating in two Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV),Bwas gathered attacked the soldiers at the Obikabia Junction in the Ogbor Hill axis of the city.
At the end of the attack, two of the soldiers were reported killed, while an Army Hilux van parked in the area, was set ablaze by the gunmen, as the remaining soldiers took to their heels.
Unconfirmed report has it that two of soldiers were killed in the gun duel, necessitating the cordoning off of the area by security men.
A resident of the area who spoke to Daily Sun said he left his house in early in the to see a relation on admission in the hospital, only for neighbours to call and warned him not to come back for fear of reprisal attack by soldiers.
“I left my house early in the morning to see a relation in a hospital, only for my neighbours to call and told me of what happened.
“They told me they had all ran into their houses and locked their doors for fear of reprisal attack from soldiers and warned me not to come back.
Elsewhere at Ovom, another part of Ogbor Hill, report said some gunmen engaged security men who were providing security for students taken WAEC Exams, in gun battle. Although no life was reported lost, some tricycles which operators defied the sit-at-home order were burnt.
While some were said to have taken the exam in some parts of the city, it was not yet clear of those whose centres fail within the area of the incident took theirs.
In Umuahia, the situation was different as there was partial compliance to the sit-at-home order in the morning hours.
Although banks and markets did not open, but shop owners opened for business as there were no restrictions of movement.
However, in the afternoon hours when reports of the Aba incident began trickling in, some shop owners who opened in the morning, closed for fear of being attacked.
Equally, some commercial bus drivers and tricycle operators who were on the streets in the morning, went off the roads.
Investigations however revealed that the sit-at-home at home did not affect students who were taken the WAEC Mathematics 1 and 2 subjects exam from doing.
As at 2 pm, the students had finished the Mathematics 1 paper and we’re waiting for the second paper
Meanwhile, the Senator representing Abia South Senatotrial District at the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly, Enyinnaya Abaribe has reacted to the Aba incident.
In a text he posted on a platform, Abaribe wrote, “Umunna, have just been called by my people in Aba that some people in a Sienna Bus opened fire on and killed two soldiers at Obikabia Junction in Ogbor hill Aba.
They “also burnt their vehicle at the junction there. Reprisals will surely follow. Is wanton murder the way to commemorate May 30th?”, the Senator queried.