Former Zone 6 sub headquarters of Nigerian Police, Ogbo Hill, Aba South Local Government headquarters and a Magistrate Court building were set ablaze while, a policeman has been confirmed killed in Aba, by suspected thugs during ongoing protest in the state.
These incidents took place; Tuesday, October 20 and Wednesday October 21 even as the state was under curfew, placed by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
At noon on Wednesday, rumor filtered out that Aba Correctional home (Prisons) was under attack, but this was later denied by prison authorities in Umuahia and Aba.
Reacting to the development, Governor Ikpeazu the condemned the killing of a Policeman by thugs and destruction of public properties during the protests, blaming the crises on political enemies of the State who hijacked the End SARS protest to forment trouble.
Ikpeazu went on to state that his government would continue to frustrate the alleged plans of some politicians and hoodlums to set Abia on fire, urging Abians to obey the curfew he imposed as it was done in their own interests.
He explained that his government had already set up a judicial panel of enquiry, headed by Justice Sunday Imo to investigate all extra-judicial killings committee by security agents against Abians, but warned them against taking laws into their hands.
Meanwhile, Umuahia, the state capital was calm on Wednesday as the curfew by the state government took effect. All government offices, financial institutions and shops were closed, though there were human and vehicular movements in some parts of the town like Over rail, traffic Ugwunchara, Ubakala, Ossah.
However, the state commissioner of Police, Janeth Agbede around 8:30 am Wednesday morning stormed the Aba Park/Bende road junction of Umuahia to personally enforce the curfew. On stepping down from her car, Agbede immediately ordered some shop owners who opened early in the morning to close, directing her men to “totally close all roads.”
Four truck loads of men of Nigerian Army, led by Armoured Personnel Carrier, also patrolled the capital city. Heavy Police teams also guarded the Bende road headquarters of Abia State Police Command, as well as the central police barracks at Finbers Street by Bende road.
At newly revived Golden Guinea Breweries PLC and MTN headquarters, 80 and 89 Aba road, Umuahia, heavy presence of Police officers were also seen patrolling around the firms to ward off attacks.
However, many residents have lamented the effect of the curfew on their businesses. Mr Okechukwu Ndumele, the chairman of butchers at Amuzukwu relief market regretted that the curfew came impromptu, appealing for the reduction in the curfew hours to enable the poor survive in the state.
