Unknown gunmen in large numbers on Thursday morning attacked a military check point at Obikabia junction in Aba, a commercial city in Abia State.

Some residents who posted on-the-spot recorded videos online said almost all the soldiers at the checkpoint were killed and the vehicle of the military personnel was seen in the videos set ablaze.

Another video from residents showed one of the soldiers who was said to be the only one that escaped the attack. The voice at the background of the video said the surviving soldier was the only who ran away or quickly took cover immediately the unknown gunmen launched the attack.

More soldiers appeared to have been deployed to the area as military vehicles loaded with military personnel were seen in a video moving towards the Obikabia junction for reinforcement as sounds of heavy gun shots could be heard in the video.

Meanwhile, Governor Peter Mbah-led Enugu State Government has condemned what he described as an attempt to scuttle the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) in the state on Thursday, May 30, 2024.

This as IPOB had warned the management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Unizik) in Anambra State against holding its convocation ceremony on May 30.

It said the day had been selected for Biafra Remembrance Day to honour Biafra fallen heroes and heroines.

It was reported that the school later rescheduled its convocation earlier billed to be held on May 30. The institution subsequently changed the May 30 and 31 dates for its 18th convocation and award of degrees to its graduates and postgraduates

Enugu government in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Aka Eze Aka said the consequences of candidates of the state and the entire South East region not sitting for their General Mathematics papers were massive and held nothing but a threat to the future, contrary to what their forebears fought for.

Aka, however, urged candidates and those involved in the conduct of the examination and other enterprises to go about their legitimate businesses, as the state had taken steps to ensure adequate security of lives and property.

The statement partly read: “The Enugu State Government notes with deep concern the statement credited to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) directing the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to postpone the General Mathematics (Theory and Objectives) examinations scheduled for Thursday, May 30, 2024, which the IPOB had designated ‘Biafra Heroes Day.’

“We note with particular concern IPOB’s statement that ‘WAEC board should not endanger the lives of small children because that day is not safe for any individual in Biafra territory.’

“This is unacceptable to us, not only because of the well-known position of the Enugu State Government on illegal sit-at-home orders, which have dealt a great blow on the socio-economic life and fortunes of the South East region, but also because of the far-reaching consequences of a whole generation of Enugu children failing to sit for a fundamental subject such as Mathematics in one year.

“Let no one make a mistake about it, Ndigbo excel on the wings of industry, education and human capital development. Therefore, any pronouncement or action that tends to deny our children their rights to education, which is their ticket to the future, is offensive to our sensibilities and surely the sensibilities of our founding fathers and fallen heroes, who must be turning in their graves, wondering what could have happened to us as a people. Moreso, when many of the architects of such unjust and evil agenda live in the comfort of civilised societies where they go to work and their children go to school every workday.

“The Enugu State Government recognises the sacrifices of our gallant forebears, who gave their all, including their lives, to defend the Igbo land. But we also recognise that they died that we may not just have life, but to have the best of it, which can only come from developing our human capital to be able to excel in all that we do as individuals and collectively as a people.

“The government will not sit by and watch the future of our children aborted by such ill-conceived pronouncement intended to keep them at home. WAEC, as the name implies, is a regional body organising SSCE, not just in Nigeria, but also across West Africa. The subregion will certainly not wait for us.

“The Enugu State Government, therefore, enjoins candidates sitting for the ongoing SSCE in Enugu State to feel free to go to their respective centres to sit for their papers on Thursday, May 30, 2024, without any fears, while the officials involved in the conduct of the examination should also go about their legitimate duties without apprehension.

“As underscored at the beginning of this administration, no one has the right to impose any illegal and involuntary restriction of movement or business activities on anybody within the territory of Enugu State. Such will be met with the full weight of the law.

“Consequently, the government has put the security agencies on red alert to ensure security of lives and property and also deal, according to the laws of the land, with anyone or group bent on scuttling the SSCE scheduled for May 30, 2024 or causing a breach of peace and security of any type.”

Meanwhile, in a circular entitled “Clarification on Attendance to Duty on Thursday 30th May, 2024” issued on Tuesday, the state’s Head of Service, Ken Ugwu, warned civil servants and political appointees that failure to report to work would attract severe sanctions.

Ugwu in the circular dated Tuesday, May 28, 2024, maintained that there would be no public holiday on May 30, 2024.

He said: “It has become expedient to clarify that the State Government has not declared Thursday, 30th May, 2024 as a public holiday or sit-at-home day contrary to misconceptions from some quarters.

“May I, therefore, remind our workers that failure to be in their duty posts on the above date will attract summary dismissal from Service in line with the enabling provisions of the Public Service Rules.

“It must be noted that such purported public holiday/sit-at-home will have far-reaching consequences on the academic pursuit of our children, who are taking part in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations holding simultaneously across the nation, including the South Eastem region.

“Enugu State Govemment strongly frowns at any calculated attempt to mortgage the future of our children and has, therefore, put in place necessary security arrangements to guarantee the safety and unrestricted movement of all citizens and residents within the State.

“All Permanent Secretaries, Directors of Administration, Heads of Departments, and agencies of Government are directed to take a roll call of all those who came to work and return the same to the Office of the Head of Service before 11 am on Thursday, 30th May, 2024.

We had earlier reported that Men of the Nigeria Police Force have shot one of the four suspected armed group said to be regrouping to enforce the sit-at-home to mark the 2024 Biafra Heroes Remembrace Day.

SP Tochukwu Ikenga in a statement on Wednesday, said one of the four armed gang was demobilized along the new River Niger bridge by Oba flyover in the Idemili South of Onitsha market area in Anambra State with three other gang members escaping with bullets wound.

It would be recalled that the Indigenous People of Biafra has insisted that the May 30 sit-at-home remains sacrosanct across the South-East and that every resident in the zone should stay at home in commemoration of “Biafra Heroes Day.”

Early photographs made available few minutes ago indicated that some group of people suspected to be members of unknown gunmen gang acting as Biafra Secessionist armed group have began the Biafra Heroes Day remembrace commemoration with a candlelight at their various camps as early as early morning night of Thursday.

The photographs are part of the attached photos added to the feature image of this story.

According to SP Tochukwu Ikenga, “following the intel gathered, the operatives today 29 May, 2024 by 2pm laid ambush on the miscreants along Oba flyover, Idemili south, intercepted a gang of four armed men operating on motorbikes and demobilized one of the miscreants while the other three escaped the scene with bullet injuries.

The Operatives recovered a locally made Barreta pistol, four expanded cartridges, two phones, and some signals/initials showing unpatriotism and disloyalty to the Nigerian government.

Preliminary information shows the armed men were regrouping to enforce illegal sit-at-home tomorrow 30th May 2024. Meanwhile, the operatives are on the trail of the three armed men who escaped the scene.

To this end, the CP charges the Operatives to sustain the tempo of the Onslaught against the criminal elements and continue to deny them the space they enjoy to commit havoc in the State”.

Meanwhile, reports from Enugu State on Wednesday indicated that ahead of the Thursday’s Biafra day Sit-at-home unknown gunmen attacked Nkwo market  at Ibagwa-Aka community in Igbo-Eze South Local Government of Enugu State and caused heavy damages on traders and vehicle road users.

Commemts from residents indicated that the people of Nkalagu Obukpa, Itchi, Unadu, Akpanya, Obukpa, Ovoko, Ibagwa, Okpuje, Iheaka, Iheakpu, and other villages whose mothers earn their livelihood from the attacked Nkwo market suffered a lot of damages and losses in their business.

To this end, SP Tochukwu Ikenga in a statement said: “the Anambra State Police Command has become cognizant of the activities of criminal elements disseminating, threatening voice-overs and violent videos in an attempt to enforce illegal sit-at-home directives and instill fear among the residents of Anambra

It is imperative to inform the public that actionable intelligence indicates that these individuals, in their bid to enforce the unlawful sit-at-home order, fabricate threatening voice-over recordings and circulate outdated videos of violent incidents, some of which did not occur within the state or even the country.

The Command is fully aware of these secessionist activities and urges the law-abiding citizens of Anambra to disregard such propaganda. Rest assured, the Police, along with other security agencies, have mobilized law enforcement resources to ensure the safety and security of every citizen in the state.

As a recent example, on May 29, 2024, at approximately 2:00 PM, Police operatives laid an ambush on miscreants along Oba flyover in Idemili South. This led to the interception of a gang of four armed men operating on motorbikes. During the encounter, one miscreant was apprehended, while the other three managed to evade capture, sustaining bullet injuries in the process. The operatives recovered a locally made Barreta pistol, four expended cartridges, two phones, and incriminating evidence indicative of unpatriotic and disloyal behavior towards the Nigerian government

In light of these developments, the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, assures the people of Anambra State that their safety remains the utmost priority of the Police Command. In case of any security concerns, citizens are encouraged to contact the command’s control room at 07039194332 or the respective Area Commands”

In an earlier statement, SP Tochukwu Ikenga said that the Commissioner of Police has deployed operatives of Schools Protection Squad (SPS) led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police Operation Department of the Command to ensure the safety of school children taking their school leaving certificate exams today Thursday, May 30, 2024.

The Police command spokesperson, released the phone numbers of various commands in the state as stated below:

The Commissioner of Police CP Nnaghe Obono Itam today 29/5/2024 complements the already emplaced Joint Security Force comprising of the Army, Navy, Civil Defense, and other sister Agencies engaged in visibility policing patrols that this dynamic and potent to address any security concerns, especially against criminal elements enforcing illegal sit at home in the State, by the deployment of the Operatives of Schools Protection Squad (SPS) led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations Department to ensure the safety of students in the State, for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) starting on May 30th, 2024 Nationwide.

• “Area Command Awka: 08033382097
• Area Command Aguata: 08066069335
• Area Command Ihiala: 08136025679
• Area Command Otucha: 08035602795
• Area Command Onitsha: 08033979326
• Area Command Nnewi: 08028593542
• Area Command Orafite: 08066664445
• Area Command Ogidi: 08037505738

The Schools Protection Squad (SPS) is an
initiative of the Inspector General of Police IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, designed to protect the schools, students, and institutional infrastructure. The Squad is equipped with relevant assets and advanced training to effectively respond to security challenges facing educational institutions. The personnel dispatched and tasked to intensify robust patrols around schools and vulnerable institutions in all the locations in the State.

The CP while wishing the Candidates Success in their Exams advised them to be of good behavior and not to engage in any form of examination malpractice.

Also in the event to request security service or to report any security-related incident or otherwise, call us on 07039194332 for a prompt response. The ‘npf rescue me app’ is also available for free download on both Android and Apple IOS, for Android and iPhone users respectively”.

As part of preparation to ensure no sit-at-home tak place in Anambra State, the Police Command Spokesperson, Tockukwu Ikenga in a statement one week ago, said: “Anambra Police Operatives today 23 May, 2024 by 11:30am intercepted a gang member of a notorious gun-running syndicate in Onitsha, recovered seven brand new Jojef magnum pump action guns, in a concealed bag.

This breakthrough is following the practical intelligence and tact-led Policing strategy of the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam to frustrate criminal plans, especially on the intel received over time about planned attacks by unlawful group, secessionists to enforce illegal sit-at-home on 30th May 2024.

The Operatives laid ambush at the identified location at Creek Road, Onitsha and the convener/ gunrunner on sighting the Police abandoned the bag and took to his heels.

To this end, the CP directs a manhunt on the notorious gun runner and the gang and urges Ndi Anambra to sustain the provision of security information as the Police will continue to act upon it, to be able to frustrate the criminal intentions of the non-state actors in the State”.