Troops of the Nigerian Army have reportedly burnt houses after invading Obeagu Community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
According to PUNCH, some community leaders said the troops invaded the community around 5am and had been shooting sporadically.
The soldiers were said to have entered the community with 10 Hilux vehicles and seven armored tanks with over 100 military personnel.
It was not clear why the military invaded the community, however, one woman was said to have been hit by stray bullet.
A community leader and immediate past councillor of the community, who confirmed the invasion, said, “We woke up this morning with military gunshots. As I am speaking everybody is on the run. Soldiers are shooting in all the communities. All the Eha-Amufu people that ran to our community after Fulani herdsmen sacked them are also on the run with residents.”
Another resident, Ogbuabor Sunday told our correspondent that they were in the morning mass, Catholic early morning prayer, when the soldiers rolled tanks to the community.
“I was in the church this early morning around around 5:30pm when military vehicles numbering over 30 including armored tanks rolled into the community. Shortly after they started shooting sporadically. None of the people who came to church this morning had gone home. I am answering this call inside the bush,” Ogbuabor said.
It was gathered that the invading soldiers were asking some women and aged people arrested, where is the camp of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, located in the community.
Recall that on October 13, 2022 armed herdsmen invaded the community and killed one person, wounded two and kidnapped three which the community paid millions in ransom to secure their release.
Also recall that armed herdsmen invaded the community on March 29, 2021 and killed 21 people. In all the invasion neither the soldiers nor police intervened in the attack that lasted for nearly 12hrs.
The PUNCH reports that since the attacks, security agencies had yet to arrest any of the assailants despite recovering a phone of one of the assailants during the invasion last year and was handed over to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, when he visited the community a week after the gruesome attack.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 82DV, Major Jonathan Unuakhalu, could not be reached as he did not answer his calls or respond to text messages sent to his phone.