Gunmen, on Tuesday, attacked the Nigeria Army base located opposite the Ehime Mbano Local Government Council secretariat of Imo State.
In a viral video of the attack on social media, monitored by our correspondent on Wednesday, the bandits could be seen launching a brazen assault on the army base located in the Aba Branch area of the LGA, burning down vehicles parked opposite the council secretariat.
A voice in the viral video monitored by our correspondent was saying, “This is Ehime Mbano, it was a local government, (but) they changed it to Army camp. If you have strength, Nigeria Army, come around. We are warning them. We want them to come out.”
The voice in the video continued, “We are burning their vehicles down, they have run. This is Biafra land, this is Biafra land.”
The Imo State Police Command spokesperson, Henry Okoye, could not be reached on Wednesday when PUNCH Metro called his phone and did not return the call as of the time of filing the report. Neither did he reply the message sent to his line.
But in a release signed by the Assistant Director Public Relations 34 Brigade, Obinze, Owerri, Captain JB Akubo, the army confirmed the attack, stating, “Some criminal elements made an attempt to destroy as well as burn down the Ehime Mbano Local Government Area secretariat at about 830pm yesterday.
“Troops of the 34 Brigade Nigerian Army were strongly on the ground to deny the dissidents access to the facility.
“The criminal elements came shooting sporadically and lobbying handheld grenades and other explosives into the secretariat but soldiers deployed to protect the government infrastructure professionally prevented the irredentists’ freedom of action and their intent.
“No soldier was lost and no part of the Local Government secretariat was affected as claimed in some quarters.”
He further stated that the criminal elements withdrew in disarray along the Oriagu- Ehime Mbano road after suffering casualties.
“The troops professionally repelled the attack on the Local Government Secretariat,” he concluded.
PUNCH Metro had reported that no fewer than eight security agents comprising soldiers, policemen and Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps operatives were killed by gunmen in the same locality.
The incident which happened in Umualumaku area of the state threw the area into panic.
The joint security taskforce team who were in two security trucks were ambushed and set ablaze by their attackers.
Eyewitness reports indicated that the attackers engaged the military personnel, resulting in the tragic deaths of some soldiers.
An eyewitness said, “During the clash, the assailants set the army vehicle on fire.”
