UMUAHIA – Tension has gripped Mbata, Umuchima Village, Isiala Ngwa North council area of Abia State, as soldiers engage in a fierce battle to dislodge gunmen allegedly hiding in the bushes.

According to military sources, the Army has deployed over 15 Hilux trucks and armored vehicles to comb the surrounding bushes and flush out the gunmen. The source revealed that the gunmen have established a base in the village, near the river at the Abia/Imo state border at Mbaise.

The operation, which began in the morning, has seen soldiers secure the junctions leading to and from the village, engaging the gunmen in the surrounding bushes. “We have secured the junctions leading to and from the village. We have engaged the gunmen in the surrounding bushes,” the source said.

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The situation has caused widespread panic, with residents fleeing to safer areas. Efforts to get a reaction from the Public Relations Officer, 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Lt. Innocent Omale, were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.

This development is not isolated, as there have been reports of similar clashes between soldiers and gunmen in other parts of Abia State ¹.