Posted by By NWABUEZE OKONKWO, Onitsha on
No fewer than 10 persons suspected of kidnapping indigenes of the commercial city of Onitsha in the past two months were Tuesday shot dead by a joint military task force set up by the state government in the wake of terrorism by some militants suspected to be members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
No fewer than 10 persons suspected of kidnapping indigenes of the commercial city of Onitsha in the past two months were Tuesday shot dead by a joint military task force set up by the state government in the wake of terrorism by some militants suspected to be members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
The suspects were killed in a gun duel in which many of their comrades sustained bullet wounds. The battle field was Elenchele Island, in the creek of River Niger, the hideout of the suspected kidnappers, who were believed to have just relocated to the island barely a month ago from their former Akpaka forest operational base.
Also, 10 of the militants were arrested after the shoot-out with the military team, comprising soldiers from Army Barracks, Onitsha, vigilance group and men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) attached to the Central Police Station (CPS), Onitsha, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Dave Onwughai.
Among the items recovered from the suspects are three boats, a Biafran flag and boat engines.
The onslaught against the militants caused stampede as traders at the river banks closed shops for fear of being hit by stray bullets.
Some of the traders who spoke to Daily Sun in Onitsha expressed happiness with the police initiative, saying that they had been held hostage for more than one year now.
It was not clear at press time if there were casualties on the side of the military task force.
When contacted, the Onitsha Police Area Commander, Mr. Rasheed Akintunde, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), simply confirmed the incident and declined further comments.
He referred newsmen to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Awka, for detailed reports. But he said that the battle was still in progress and would remain so until the militants were flushed out of the creeks.