By Eric Ugbor

Aba— Gunmen Suspected to be assassins, Sunday, invaded  Ihie  autonomous Community in Ugwunagbo Local Government Area of Abia State killing five persons, including a pregnant woman and her 18-year-old daughter and three others.

Buildings razed as villagers flee community

The hoodlums also set ablaze several buildings, forcing many residents of  the community  to flee  to neighboring  villages.

The gunmen were said to have entered the community  at about 8:30 p.m. that fateful Sunday on a motorcycle and made straight to their  victims whom they shot severally, leaving them in a pool of their blood.

An eye witness told Vanguard that the gunmen, numbering about eight, after murdering their  victims, shot sporadically as they  fled to unknown destination.

When Vanguard visited the  community, which had been  notorious for violent  crimes in recent time, there was wailing and cries but  nobody could volunteer information of  what happened as fear  gripped many of  them.

It was gathered that the hoodlums only came to commit the heinous crime  as they were said to have left  after shooting  their  victims  without  demanding  for money or ransom as in the case of kidnappers.

However, a source  in the village revealed to Vanguard that the victims were all  relations of leaders of the youth organization of the   village.

It was further  gathered that the  youth body of the community had warned  suspected criminals to desist  from their nefarious activities, a situation that forced  many of the “bad” boys of the community to flee the village.

The source alleged that the assassins might have come on vendetta mission aimed at  destroying  those opposed to their nefarious operations in the community.

At the time of filing  this report, the entire community  looked like a ghost town, as  security agents  have swooped on the village, arresting every motorcyclist found in the community.

A reliable  police source confirmed  the report and stated  that the Area Commander in Aba, Mr. Ebere Onyeagorom, had almost re- located to the area in a determined effort  to apprehend  the  culprits.