Soldiers repel attack by gunmen on Abia police checkpoints

Soldiers repel attack by gunmen on Abia police checkpoints

In a tense encounter in Abia State, soldiers from the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Barracks, 14 Brigade headquarters in Ohafia, successfully repelled an attempted attack by gunmen on police and military checkpoints.

The soldiers, attached to the 144 Battalion in Ukwa West local government area, thwarted the assault, which reportedly targeted police officers on a stop-and-search operation near the Aro Ngwa area of the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.

According to The Nation, the attackers confronted the police with the apparent intention of setting their patrol van ablaze.

However, the swift response of soldiers from the 144 Battalion prevented the assailants from advancing further. Upon receiving word of the attack, soldiers stationed at Aro Ngwa quickly alerted their colleagues at the Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Aba, who responded to provide reinforcement.

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Eyewitnesses described the scene as a near-war situation, with intense gunfire causing many commuters to abandon their vehicles and seek cover in nearby bushes to avoid stray bullets. The encounter reportedly left one soldier injured, who has since been hospitalized.

A source from the 14 Brigade, Ohafia, indicated that the attackers were believed to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and were likely attempting to seize weapons.

The gunmen, who were traveling in a white Sienna SUV, eventually retreated into the bush under pressure from the military’s superior firepower and fled through the Owerrenta axis of the Owerri-Aba Expressway.

Efforts to reach Abia State’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Maureen Chinaka, were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.

However, the successful intervention by the 144 Battalion underscores the military’s commitment to maintaining stability and protecting security forces in Abia State.

 

Soldiers repel attack by gunmen on Abia police checkpoints