Tension In Abia As Soldiers, IPOB Members Clash

No fewer than seven people have reportedly sustained various degrees of injuries after members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) clashed with soldiers in Umuahia, Abia state.

THE WHISTLER learnt that some soldiers of the 14 brigade of Nigerian army stormed the residence of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu and fired gunshots in the air to scare away his supporters, as they were met with stiff resistance.

Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Kanu’s counsel, who confirmed the incident, accused the army of brutally wounding five members of Kanu’s family during the incident, adding that the move was an attempt to take his client’s life.

“Just to alert the world that the Nigeria military personnel under the command of chief of army staff is presently laying a siege on my client (Nnamdi Kanu) country home in Umuahia,” he said in a statement issued shortly after the incident.

“They had continued to shot sporadically into the air through which assault, about five of his family members were brutally wounded and some unfortunately killed. There is no doubt that the present deployment of troops to the south-east is to haunt for my client and possibly eliminate him.”

However, the Army in a statement refuted the claim, saying the pro-Biafra agitators blocked the road the troops were passing and attacked them first.

“It was a group of suspected IPOB militants that blocked the road against troops of 145 battalion while on show of force along FMC-Word Bank road in Umuahia town, Abia state at about 6.00-6.30pm, today (Sunday),” Oyegoke Gbadamosi, assistant director, army public relations, said in a statement.

“They insisted that the military vehicles would not pass and started pelting the soldiers with stones and broken bottles to the point of injuring an innocent female passerby and a soldier, corporal Kolawole Mathew.”

He said the troops were prompted to fire “warning shots in the air” in other to disperse the pro-Biafra agitators, adding that “no life was lost”.

“Therefore the public are kindly enjoined to disregard the rumours going round and the fictitious photographs of purported victims of attack. Both the soldier and the innocent female passerby have been evacuated to the unit’s medical inspection room and are receiving treatment,” the statement read.

The ugly incident is happening just two days after Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, ordered the deployment of troops in the south-east to stop “violent” secessionist agitations.