Governor of Anambra State Charles Soludo has denounced the killing of soldiers on a routine patrol at Umunze by gunmen in the state’s Orumba South Local Government Area.
The incident occurred on Wednesday around 12:30 p.m. next to a Zenith Bank location, close to the well-known Nkwo Umunze market in the neighbourhood.
According to reports, the assailants started shooting at the soldiers as they were seated in their Sienna patrol car, killing a number of them in the process.
Journalists were informed by an eyewitness that the incident resulted in the deaths of five soldiers and two civilians. The civilians, the eyewitness continued, were hit by stray bullets.
A video clip of the slain soldiers has gone viral on social media.
In a statement by his chief press secretary, Christian Aburime, Prof Soludo vowed that the killers of the soldiers will be fished out.
“We condemn this wicked and cruel attack in the strongest terms. The perpetrators of this act must pay. 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,” Prof Soludo said.
“Going forward, our actions will show, as these people must surely pay for this heinous and repulsive attack,” he further stressed.
Soludo urged Anambra residents to remain calm and law-abiding as the security agencies look into the situation.
Anambra police spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga said the Command had deployed security operatives to secure the area.