Tension has heightened in Umuahia, the Abia State Capital, as a detachment of soldiers from the Nigerian Army has surrounded the Afaraukwu country home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Soldiers arrived the community on Tuesday barely 48 hours after the clash between the ARMY and tricycle operators at the “Isigate ‘ epicenter of the town on Sunday evening, which left three people injured.
The soldiers returned with about 10 Armoured Carrier Vehicles and seven Hilux vans.
The development has caused panic in the area, forcing shop owners to close immediately.
In a show of brute force some of the soldiers invaded the Abia State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists on Aba Road, Umuahia, and destroyed communication gadgets, IPads, phones and other valuables.
Our repoter learnt that the soldiers claimed they saw somebody taking photographs of them from the building.
Narrating his ordeal with the soldiers, a National officer of the Council, Ezeogo Boniface Okoro explained that the soldiers swooped into the office and ordered him to hand over his phone before he could say anything one of the soldiers collect his Samsung tablet and smashed it on the ground, another phone belonging to Daily Times correspondent was smashed.
However, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abia State Council, Comrade John Emejor has condemned the attack describing it as a desecration of the rights of Journalists who were playing their constitutional role of information dissemination and called on the military command to bring those involved to book.
When contacted the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 14 Brigade, Major Oyegoke Gbadamosi, confirmed the incident.
He said he had asked the chairman of the Council to send the photograph of the damaged equipment to him and promised that the soldiers involved will be punished according to the law of the land.
In a related development, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi kanu has accused the Nigerian Army of wanting to kill him.
He described the military aircraft hovering around his country home, the injury sustained by some of his members as evidence.
Meanwhile the IPOB members have advised the military to carry their operation Python Dance to the Northern part of the Country where boko haram are destroying lives and property and warned that if not that they will retaliate in like manner.
