On Sunday night a mob of unknown gunmen laid siege on the 3-3 Housing Estate, Nkwelle-Ezunaka near Onitsha, Anambra. A shootout occurred when military men engaged the group, leading to the deaths of two of the soldiers.
According to eyewitness accounts, the shooting began around 10 pm and lasted for several hours before some semblance of peace was restored. The gunmen had attacked some soldiers where they were stationed upon which a panic broke out when the military men retaliated. In a potentially related incident, gunmen also broke into the Government Reserved Area (GRA) of Onitsha where they fired sporadically and also set ablaze the Idemili North Local Government Secretariat and Magistrate Court in Ogidi.
Confirming the incidents, the Spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga added that officials had already been dispatched to restore some sense of normalcy to the affected areas. He said that the flames had been put out and calm restored to the Idemili Secretariat Area. He also confirmed reports about the attack on soldiers in Onitsha but denied the claims that two soldiers had been killed.
