Gunmen kill soldier in Ebonyi

The Ebonyi State Police Command on Friday confirmed the attack on a military checkpoint along the busy Amangwu axis of the Amasiri-Owutu federal road in Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

An unconfirmed source said that one army personnel was shot dead while the soldiers shot dead one of the gunmen during an exchange of gunfire.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Joshua Ukandu, said that information available from the Owutu Police Division reveals that some hoodlums attacked the military checkpoint in the early hours of today, shooting sporadically.

He said that though it is not yet certain if there were casualties, “the attack was carried out by yet-to-be-identified gunmen operating on a motorcycle.”

The Guardian gathered that a soldier was killed while one of the gunmen was also killed by the soldiers during the attack.

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When our correspondent visited the community, calm had returned as people, especially women, were seen in groups discussing the incident.

“There was an attack this morning at the Amangwu Military Checkpoint, and two persons were killed. From the information available, a soldier was killed and one of the gunmen was also killed by the soldiers,” a source said.

The source said that the shooting caused panic and apprehension in the area as motorists and commuters plying the federal road had to spend hours ensuring that normalcy had returned to the area.