A fresh attack has been carried out by gunmen on a security formation in Rivers State and five soldiers have been reported killed.
The gunmen on Monday morning attacked the camp at Abua, in Abua/Odual Local Government Area, killing the officers.
Although the six Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt is yet to release an official statement, two top security personnel in Rivers State confirmed the attack and killings.
Meanwhile, all heads of security agencies in Rivers State are currently at a meeting at the headquarters of the Rivers State Police Command, ostensibly to re-strategise ahead of the new scale of insecurity in the state.
This attack comes barely 24 hours after gunmen killed some police and customs officers at their patrol base in Isiokpo, the Headquarters of Ikwerre Local Government, which is along the Port Harcourt-Owerri road.
While the Police are yet to reveal the casualty figure for Saturday night’s attack in Isiokpo, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had said three of its personnel were killed by the gunmen.
The spokesperson for Zone C, Custom’s Federal Operations Unit, Mr Jerry Atta, told Channels Television on Sunday that the gunmen also went away with an AK-47 rifle and two Toyota Hilux vans belonging to the service.
He said a thorough investigation would be carried out to unravel the circumstances that led to the attack and to unravel the motive of the assailants.
Atta blamed the killing of the security operatives on armed smugglers whose businesses have been frustrated by the customs in recent times.