Soldiers from the 14 Brigade, Ohafia, stationed in Aba, have k!lled a gunman suspected to be enforcing a sit-at-home order in the Osisioma Ngwa area along the Enugu – Port Harcourt expressway.
The suspected enforcers, who arrived in two ash-coloured Sienna and Hummer buses, had been intimidating traders and motorists, warning them against conducting business to observe the sit-at-home directive. They vandalized goods displayed by traders along the expressway, attack3d an eatery, and smashed its glass windows, causing customers to flee.
In a series of aggressive actions, the gunm3n also intercepted an 18-seater bus heading to Port Harcourt in the Ugwunagbo area, ordered the passengers to disembark, and then set the bus ablaze. Additionally, they hijacked a Lexus jeep belonging to a medical doctor, which was later set on fire a few meters away from where it was taken. A vehicle with a government number plate was also t0rched.
Eyewitnesses reported to Vanguard that following the chaos, soldiers of the 14 Brigade cordoned off key areas including Osisioma Ngwa, Tonimas junction, Bata, Ariaria junctions, and the Umuode-Umuojima areas, creating tension in the city and prompting business owners to shut their shops.
A security source from the 14 Brigade, Ohafia, informed Vanguard that the military pursued the gunm3n into the Umuojima area, where a gun battle ensued. One of the gunmen was k!lled, and others were !njured. The body of the deceased gunman was recovered by the soldiers.
It was also reported that a security personnel was injur3d during the operation and is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed private hospital. The soldiers recovered a Toyota Sienna bus and another vehicle used by the gunmen, both bearing bl00d stains, indicating the severity of the confrontation.
