Two persons have been confirmed dead following another attack by unknown gunmen at a Police Checkpoint along the Presco junction axis of the ever-busy Enugu-Abakaliki expressway in Abakalik, Ebonyi State.
The incident occured at about 8pm on Monday night and created panic and tension along the major expressway as motorists and commuters scampered for safety while the gun battle lasted.
A source, who spoke to the media on the ground of anonymity, said that the gunmen operated on a motorcycle to attack the police officers at their duty post.
The gunmen on arriving at the junction opened fire on the policemen on duty while the policemen responded immediately resulting to sporadic exchange of gunshots. When the gun duel subsided, people who went close to the scene observed that a policeman was shot dead while one of the gunmen was also killed.
When contacted, the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Chris Anyanwu, confirmed the incident.
SP Anyanwu said one policeman and an unknown gunman were shot dead during the clash between the Police and the unknown gunmen on Monday night.
Meanwhile, parents of students at different Unity Schools in Ebonyi State have demanded for the immediate closure of the schools following the threat by the outlawed Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) to shut down the South-East for five days.
The parents, who trooped to the schools in the early hours of on Tuesday, demanded that their children and wards be released to them on or before Thursday this week before the commencement of the sit-at-home order, which the secessionist group announced will start on Friday.
A parent, Mrs. Grace Ofor, said: “We are here to demand for the release of our children. They have finished their exams and I don’t see the reason why they are still keeping them here. IPOB announced that they will shut down the South-East from Friday this week till Wednesday next week and nobody knows how long it will last, so we urge them to let our kids go.”
Following the sit-at-home order, the Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki has directed that Holy Rosary School in the state be closed on Thursday and the students vacate the school.
Similarly, many ceremonies including burials, weddings and other social activities in the state have been put on hold by their organizers.
