Soldiers stop gunmen attack in Abia

Soldiers from the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Barracks, 14 Brigade Headquarters in Ohafia, successfully repelled an attempted attack by gunmen on police and military checkpoints in Abia State. 

The gunmen targeted police officers conducting a stop-and-search operation near Aro Ngwa along the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway. However, soldiers from the 144 Battalion in Ukwa West responded swiftly, preventing the attackers from setting the police patrol van on fire.

Upon learning of the attack, soldiers stationed at Aro Ngwa alerted the Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Aba for additional support. Witnesses described the ensuing gunfire as intense, with several commuters abandoning their vehicles to seek refuge in nearby bushes.

A source within the 14 Brigade, Ohafia, told The Nation that the gunmen were suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), allegedly seeking weapons. 

The attackers, who were in a white Sienna SUV, were eventually overpowered by the soldiers’ superior firepower, forcing them to flee into the surrounding bush. During the confrontation, one soldier was wounded and is currently receiving medical treatment. The gunmen ultimately retreated through the Owerrenta axis of the Owerri-Aba Expressway.