Soldiers attached to the 144 Battalion, Asa, Ukwa West council, Abia State have reportedly burnt down buildings in Owaza community to avenge the death of their colleagues.
Gunmen suspected to be oil thieves were said to have murdered two soldiers and burnt the troop’s patrol vans between Owaza and Obibor communities.
Owaza is a location between Abia and Rivers State.
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The gunmen had fled with the rifles of the security operatives, Vanguard reports.
Sources told the publication that the clash between the soldiers and the gunmen was as a result of the ban on oil bunkering in Rivers the state.
The source said: “We heard the problem with the soldiers had to do with the oil bunkering. The ban on oil bunkering in Rivers State has affected the oil thieves; they are not comfortable with the soldiers at the Owaza-Obibor road. They attacked the soldiers and killed two of them while others fled.
“It was in retaliation that the soldiers laid siege to Owaza and burnt houses in the community. After burning houses in Owaza, the soldiers took over Owaza and all the neighbouring areas of Obuzor Asa, Umudobia to Obehie, Uzuaku, Okohia to Owaza. The people of Owaza have been made to suffer because of what they don’t know. We heard the problem with the soldiers had to do with the oil bunkering. The ban on oil bunkering in Rivers State has affected the oil thieves; they are not comfortable with the soldiers at the Owaza-Obibor road. They attacked the soldiers and killed two of them while others fled.
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“It was in retaliation that the soldiers laid siege to Owaza and burnt houses in the community. After burning houses in Owaza, the soldiers took over Owaza and all the neighbouring areas of Obuzor Asa, Umudobia to Obehie, Uzuaku, Okohia to Owaza. The people of Owaza have been made to suffer because of what they don’t know.”
The residents of the area had fled even before the soldiers went on rampage.
The Public Relations Officer, 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Prince Omale when contacted on the matter said he had not received reports on the incident while a military officer who spoke under conditions of anonymity said that the incident was under investigation.
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