Tension is mounting in Aba, Abia State, as soldiers have taken control of the city following the murder of five of their comrades at a military checkpoint at Obikabia junction, Ogbor Hill.
The attack, carried out by suspected enforcers of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)’s sit-at-home order, resulted in the deaths of five soldiers and the burning of two patrol vans and the checkpoint.
The heightened tension has been exacerbated by the presence of two military helicopters hovering over the Ogbor Hill area and its surroundings.
Residents are fleeing at the sight of several high-speed military patrol teams.
Soldiers have stormed key areas such as Cemetery, Ngwa Road, Nsulu markets, and other business centers, ordering traders to vacate the premises.
Many schools in the city remain closed as parents keep their children at home, and some schools that opened were shut by midday.
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Despite the chaos, the Aba main motor park remains busy.
However, soldiers have vacated checkpoints at Asa Road and Emelogu junction in Ogbor Hill.
Residents of Umuola, Ukaegbu, Ehere, New Umuahia, and Ururuka roads in Ogbor Hill, as well as Obohia and Ohanku in the Ndiegoro area, are staying indoors, fearing a military reprisal.
Heavily armed soldiers have also barricaded the Aba–Umuahia section of the Enugu–Port Harcourt expressway.
Passengers are being forced to disembark at Arungwa, Umuekea, Isiala Ngwa, and Ntigha junctions, trekking a kilometer with their hands raised.
Many motorists are taking detours through local routes to avoid the numerous military checkpoints on the expressway.
