Despite Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s efforts to ensure Anambra State’s security, hoodlums suspected of being gunmen struck Sunday evening and abducted about 15 people near Nkpor.
It was gathered that the gunmen reportedly arrived the place at 3 p.m. and held residents and travellers captive while shooting sporadically into the air.
It was said that soldiers immediately reached the place and engaged the hoodlums in gun battle that lasted to 6 p.m. on Sunday , and in the process caught one of the gun men alive.
Fifteen persons including passengers some of whom were women visiting their children at Trinity Secondary School, Nnobi, from Asaba were among those allegedly abducted, according to sources.
It was gathered that the incident took place when a similar incident was happening along Oko and Ekwulobia where the police neutralised the hoodlums and recovered some arms.
The incidents heightened fears over the IPOB Monday sit -at- home which was observed under duress across the state on Monday.
Reacting when contaçted , the PPRO for Anambra State Police Command, Ikenga Tochukwu, stated as follows:-
“Following information gathered of an abduction that took place on 5 June, 2022 about 1:30 p.m. along Oko and Ekwulobia, the Police embarked in a rescue operation which resulted in neutralising, some of the armed hoodlums and recovery of some arms and their operational vehicles. The operation is ongoing no. I will get back to you with full details as soon as I can please.”
The number of casualties was not known at Press time. But about four gun men were said to have been injured during the gun battle.
However, it was not known whether the gun men ran away with the abducted persons when the soldiers attached or whether they were caught in the crossfire during the encounter.
One of the students of Trinity Secondary School whose mother was among the said abducted victims had been crying since morning. Effort to get to her talk to our reporter failed.
