Soldiers from the 14 Brigade, Ohafia, stationed in Aba, Abia State, have reportedly killed a suspected gunman enforcing a sit-at-home order in the Osisioma Ngwa area along the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.
According to reports from Vanguard, the gunmen had issued warnings to traders and motorists to observe the sit-at-home order, threatening them against conducting business.
They destroyed goods belonging to traders displaying wares along the expressway.
The attackers, masked and travelling in two ash-coloured Sienna and Hummer buses, launched an assault on a local eatery, smashing its glass windows as customers fled in panic.
In another incident, the gunmen stopped an 18-seater bus heading to Port Harcourt in the Ugwunagbo area, forced the passengers to disembark, and set the vehicle on fire.
Additionally, they hijacked a Lexus Jeep from a medical doctor on the expressway, which was later set ablaze after being driven a short distance. A government-plated vehicle also met a similar fate.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers fired sporadically, prompting soldiers to cordon off key access points including Osisioma Ngwa to the expressway, Tonimas junction, Bata, and Ariaria junctions, as well as the Umuode-Umuojima areas.
The presence of security forces created tension in the city, leading business owners to shut down their operations.
A security source from the 14 Brigade, Ohafia, revealed that the military pursued the gunmen into the Umuojima area, engaging them in a shootout that resulted in the death of one assailant and injuries to others.
The soldiers reportedly recovered the body of the deceased gunman. Meanwhile, a security officer was injured in the altercation and is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed private hospital.
Authorities recovered a Toyota Sienna bus and another vehicle used by the gunmen during the attacks, both stained with blood.
