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Gunmen have killed at least five soldiers in Umunze, a community in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has condemned the incident.
The incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday at about 12:30 p.m. beside a branch of the Zenith Bank close to the popular Nkwo Umunze market in the area.
The gunmen were said to have opened fire on the soldiers who were in an army-marked Sienna patrol vehicle, killing five of them in the attack.
The military is yet to respond to the attack as of the time of this reporting.
Video clips of the slain soldiers have gone viral on social media.
In one clip, seen by Channels Television, two bloody bodies of men in army fatigues were splayed around a Sienna vehicle.
Cruel attack
Reacting to the killing, Governor Soludo said the soldiers had been ambushed on a routine patrol.
“We condemn this wicked and cruel attack in the strongest terms. The perpetrators of this act must pay,” Soludo said, as quoted in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Christian Aburime.
“We are not going to rest on our oars, including those people that attacked Senator Ifeanyi Ubah and the rest. There will be absolutely no hiding place for them,” Soludo added.
“Going forward, our actions will show, as these people must surely pay for this heinous and repulsive attack.”
The Governor urged Anambra residents to remain calm and law-abiding as the security agencies are on top of the situation.
