Joint Security Operatives on Thursday killed eight persons suspected to be hoodlums and operated under the name ‘unknown gunmen’ in Imo State.
The hoodlums had engaged the operatives in a gun battle for several hours before the security operatives defeated them at Nkwito junction in Orlu Local Government Area of the state.
By the time the battle was over, eight of the ‘unknown gunmen’ were killed, eight of their vehicles recovered. The security operatives also took possession of their sophisticated ammunition.
Among the recovered vehicles include a Land Rover, Toyota Highlander, Siena, white hummer buses, Umuopia-Akokwa vigilante lion squad security vehicle, among others.
It was learnt that the gun battle, which started at banana junction, in the commercial town of Orlu, threw the town into chaos and grounded all commercial and business activities in the area.
On what happened, an eyewitness told Vanguard, “On Thursday around 08: 15am, we started seeing some strange movements, that was when the soldiers were trying to locate the ‘unknown gunmen’.”
The eyewitness went further to explain, “From 1:00pm, we started hearing shootings and we saw it was between the unknown gunmen and the Soldiers. The firing lasted for more than an hour.
“I saw about two of the soldiers’ vehicles taken away by the unknown gunmen. If you see these ‘unknown gunmen’ they are powerful, armed to the fullest. They wore black and black and with white material around their neck and covering their backside down to their leg.
“If you see them you will bow. These men are strong and they have weight. They faced the Army and the Army ran away.”
Another eyewitness at the Nkwito junction in Orlu, said: “Thursday night the firing was much. All the vehicles of the unknown gunmen were collected from them. What I don’t know is if all the unknown gunmen were killed. I am not close to counting all of them. We were able to get at least eight of them. I think also even some of the members of the joint security forces also were injured. Counting from the time the battle started from banana junction to Nkwito junction.”