Gunmen kills four Abia vigilante

A four man gunmen suspected to be members of a notorious armed robbery gang terrorizing visitors and residents of Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State has reportedly killed personnel of the Abia State Vigilante Service (AVS), otherwise known as Bakassi boys.
It was gathered that while three of the AVS personnel died on the spot, another member of the security outfit died on the way to the hospital.
Unconfirmed reports have it that other personnel of the State Vigilante service and some passersby that sustained gunshot are receiving medical attention in undisclosed private hospital.
Another report has it that the vigilante group had foiled a kidnap attempt of an Aba based business woman at Popular Tonimas junction by the gunmen, not knowing that the gunmen later trailed them.
It was gathered that the gunmen on sighting the AVS team near the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) office along Aba-Owerri expressway road while they were on a routine patrol, opened gunshot on them, killing three on the spot.
 It was gathered that the incident which happened on Monday evening caused pandemonium around the area, forcing many shop owners to hurriedly close their shops while motorists and other road users abandoned the ever busy expressway which serves as a major entrance
and exit route from the commercial city for alternative ones to avoid police arrest and gridlock that was already building on the road.
A source from one of the security agencies in the state who pleaded anonymity confirmed that four members of the AVS died as a result of the shootout, but couldn’t confirm if there were others admitted in any hospital in Aba.
The source who said that the hoodlums used a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) to carry out the act, added that police and other sister agencies shortly after the incident, blocked possible exit routes of the hoodlums.
According to the source, “We (security agencies) are on their trail and will soon get to them. We are closing up on them. We want to use this opportunity to appeal to Aba residents to report to the police and other security agencies in the state about any suspicious movement
of persons in their areas.”
Recall that the state government had at the weekend imposed a 6am to 7pm ban on the operational hours of commercial motor and tricycle operators in the state as part of measures to curb the activities of hoodlums and gunmen in the city of Aba and other parts of the state.