Gunmen kill two soldiers at Ebonyi military checkpoint

By OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE, Abakaliki

Gunmen on Monday night killed two soldiers at a military checkpoint located at Timber Junction area in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi state.

It was reliably gathered from a top security source that the incident took place at around 9pm.

“The gunmen also carted away the riffles of the two dead soldiers,” the source added.

A source in the community, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the gunmen arrived the checkpoint in a white bus and as the military men stopped them for a search, they opened fire on them.

According to him, the situation threw the two busy towns of Amasiri and Afikpo into panic, as residents,especially petty traders hurriedly packed their goods and went home.

“It’s a very sad situation here. They said it was people suspected to be gunmen, who came to the checkpoint at Timber Shade (boundary Ehugbo and Amasiri) in white bus.

“As usual, it appeared the military were checking them and all of a sudden, they opened fire on them. Two of the military men, a man and woman, died. Others ran away.

“The area is as quiet as the graveyard. These bordering villages used to be very busy and people here are farmers and traders.

“But the moment that happened, people started going home. Nobody is seen outside as I speak to you. Every place is calm. There is fear here now. My brother, the world is about to end,” the source said.

The Military was yet to react at the time of filling this Report.

Commissioner for Police, Mr Garba Aliyu, could not pick calls and was yet to respond to a text message sent by our correspondent on the matter.

Spokesperson of the command, Loveth Odah also failed to respond to queries for comment on the incident.

The attack is coming barely 10 days , after three policemen were shot dead by gunmen in the state.

Gunmen have ramped up attacks on security agencies in the southeast and south south recently.

There have been deadly attacks on the police and military in the past one week.

In one of such attacks, four soldiers were killed in an attack at a hotel in a Rivers community on Sunday.

Also, soldiers were said to be among eight security officials killed on Sunday by gunmen along the Omagwa/Isiokpo/Elele Owerri Road in Rivers State.

In Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east, gunmen suspected to be IPOB members attacked and set ablaze the country home of the state governor, Hope Uzodinma on Saturday.

Within the past one week, there have been deadly attacks on police facilities in Enugu and Anambra states.

The Eastern Security Network (ESN), which is the security arm of separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) is suspected to be behind the attacks.

But the outlawed group continues to deny involvement in the attacks. (The Nation)