Residents Go Into Hiding As Soldiers Invade Enugu Communities
Residents Go Into Hiding As Soldiers Invade Enugu Communities. Ekpoffo and Akpugo residents in Enugu State were terrified on Thursday, the 1st of July, after men of the Nigerian Army invaded their communities.
Based on reports, some soldiers for unknown reasons invaded the two communities of the Nkanu East and Nkanu West local government areas of the state on Thursday.
A resident from one of the communities confirmed the incident. He spoke from hiding and explained that the soldiers’ visit may be connected with the recent chasing of some herdsmen who were causing havoc in the areas.
The residents believed that the invasion could be a direct order from the Presidency to security agencies to hunt down Biafran agitators in the South-East region.
According to another source, the soldiers had invaded Ekpoffo on Wednesday and whisked away some youths to unidentified locations.
“Soldiers numbering over 100 stormed Ekpoffo community in Nkanu East around 7.30pm on Wednesday. They moved from place to place, ransacking houses. Before then, they had blocked major roads leading to the community before swooping on the residents,” the source said.
“I don’t know how many people were abducted yesterday (Wednesday). They were looking for our youths, but many of them had run away.”
The source also said that the soldiers returned on Thursday with policemen and personnel of the Department of State Services and blocked all access roads that leads to the community.
Speaking on the invasion of Ndiagu- Akpugo community, a source said houses were completely burnt down. “They went to the house belonging to a man popularly known as Bebia at Ugwu-agba in Ndiagu-Akpugo. They didn’t see anyone, so the soldiers set the house ablaze,” the source revealed.
It added: “As I am speaking to you, our young men have run away and some members of the community are relocating to the state capital in fear for their lives,”
The traditional ruler of Adamagu Akpawfu community, Igwe Christopher Nnamani, who resides in the Enugu State, said he received various phone calls from his subjects relaying information to him concerning the invasion.
He said: “I am on my way to my palace; come there so I can see who I am speaking with. I won’t like to speak with someone I have not seen on the telephone,”
However, the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Enugu, Col. Abubakar Abdullahi, and the the State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, did not give any comment when contacted by reporters to speak on the incident.
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