A soldier working at the 14 Brigade Headquarters, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Barracks, Ohafia in the Abia State local government area of Ebem Ohafia, was slain by gunmen.

Two of the gunmen were reportedly slain by soldiers who were responding to a distress call from one of their comrades who managed to avoid being killed in the neighborhood.

The August 17 incident spread panic throughout the neighborhood, leading some business owners to close their doors out of concern for a potential invasion of the neighborhood.

During the gunfight, a store owner from Ohafia named Miss Chinenye Ajunwa was struck by a stray bullet from Amuta in the Isuikwuato local government area.

The lady, who was with her father during the gun duel, died before help could come her way.

It was gathered that the deceased soldier was in the community for an errand before he was killed by gunmen who trailed him to the area. 

A source from the Brigade confirmed the incident to Nation, said the rescued soldier had gone to Ebem market in a commercial motorcycle to buy groceries when he noticed that he was being trailed by some armed group of boys.

“He heard when the gunmen were asking about a soldier that Okada just brought and quickly hide somewhere and from his hideout, he sent an SOS message to the Brigade. Soldiers were mobilized for his rescue and the gunmen who are members Eastern Security Network (ESN) engaged the soldiers,” the source explained.

“Two of them were killed. A pump action gun, cutlasses and two motorbikes belonging to the gunmen were recovered from them. It was while the soldiers were on patrol in the community, after rescuing the other soldier, that they discovered that the gunmen had killed a soldier in the same community.” 

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