Unknown Gunmen Dare Soludo, Kidnapped Police Escorts In Ihiala, Burnt State Owned Media ABS

Unknown Gunmen shortly after Anambra State Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo declared curfew in Ihiala and seven other local government areas in the state on Wednesday, blocked the U-turn of the ever busy Onitsha-Owerri Federal road between Our Ladies hospital and Ezego junction in the Ihiala community.

The Unknown Gunmen who residents said spent some hours, snatched numbers of vehicles mostly Hilux vans.

According to residents, no life was lost during the attack on Wednesday.

But the following day, being the expected court trial date of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu that was later shifted till June, the Unknown Gunmen reportedly blocked the Onitsha-Owerri road, killed a trailer tanker close to the Divisional/Area Command Police office in Ihiala.

Residents said soldiers who later came to the scene of event towed the vehicle riddled with bullets into the premises of the police station.

Residents said the Unknown Gunmen suspecting the tanker to be loaded with fuel shot severally into the detachable tanker but all efforts to set the vehicle ablaze proved abortive.

Residents said they suspected the contents inside the tanker was not fuel, adding, it could be other supplement for mixing petrol.

Also on Thursday, residents said the Unknown Gunmen overpowered vehicles conveying a popular politician with police escorts between the Ezego junction and Our Ladies hospital.

Residents said the occupants inside the vehicles including the police men were Kidnapped and one of the vehicles snatched.

It was gathered that the kidnapping took place in the morning and some members of the unknown gunmen came back later in the day to set ablaze the abandoned vehicle.

As at the time of filling in this report, carcass of the burnt vehicle is still visible at the front of Our Ladies hospital in Ihiala along the Onitsha-Owerri road.

Residents could not specify the numbers of Police men kidnapped by the Unknown Gunmen but a source closer to the police dismissed the claim that it could not have been possible for the armed civilian group to kidnap a team of Police Escorts alongside with their AK-47.

Today, Monday morning, around 4 a.m, the Unknown Gunmen attacked the state owned media, Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS in Awada community of Idemili North local government area of Anambra State, set a building and two operational vehicles ablaze.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that the Unknown Gunmen operated more than one hour and flogged some of the staff on duty during the attack.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Ikenga Tochukwu, said the attack occurred early-morning on Monday.

The police authority said the incident occurred at about 4:30 a.m at Awada in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.

The Police PRO said the command was alerted of the attack at the facility and a team of operatives was swiftly deployed to engage the assailants.

“Following a distress call today 30/5/2022 at about 4:30 am of a case of arson in Anambra Broadcasting Service, Awada Station, in Idemili North Local Government Area, the police operatives responded swiftly and prevented the hoodlums from causing damage on the structure.

“Unfortunately, two operational vehicles belonging to the station were affected. No life was lost. Meanwhile, the station has been cordoned off and Operation is still ongoing in the area”, he said.

Monday’s attack is the latest since Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo declared curfew in Ihiala, Nnewi, Aguata Ekwusigo, Orumba North, and three other local government areas as part of strategies to curtail the activities of the unknown gunmen in the state.

Some staff of the Anambra Broadcasting Service were left in the pool of their blood as some yet-to-be-identified gunmen attacked their office in the early hours of Monday.#DublinAirport #2face #Ghost #Zenab #CMPunk #40gb pic.twitter.com/cCOvBLz25z

— Africa News24 (@an24TV) May 30, 2022