Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, experienced a violent outbreak yesterday as gunmen enforcing a sit-at-home order launched a coordinated attack on the city.
The assailants, dressed in hooded garments and traveling in a two-tone ash Sienna and a Hummer bus, targeted multiple locations along the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway. The attackers set fire to a commercial bus heading to Port Harcourt, a Lexus SUV owned by a medical director, and another vehicle with government plates. They also vandalized a fast-food restaurant, smashing its windows.
In response, soldiers from the 14 Brigade swiftly mobilized and cordoned off the Osisioma-Port Harcourt Expressway Junction. Traffic was rerouted as the military engaged the gunmen in a fierce gun battle. The clash resulted in the death of one attacker and injuries to several others. The soldiers managed to recover one of the Sienna vehicles and a Land Cruiser used by the assailants, both stained with blood.
This attack has heightened tension among residents, marking the fourth such incident in the city over the last three months.