A four man gang of gunmen suspected to be members of a yet-to-be named secret cult operating in Aba and its environs have reportedly been arrested by personnel of the 144 Battalion, under the 14 Brigade of the Nigerian Army with its Headquarters in Ohafia, Abia State.

Sources within the army in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state hinted that the suspects were arrested after they had managed to gain entry into the school premise unnoticed to carry out their nefarious act.

Information gathered from students of Abia State Polytechnic has it that the gunmen struck the school while afternoon examination papers were yet-to-be concluded for the day.

According to them, the incident which generated exchange of gunfire by rival cults caused pandemonium in the school as everyone including staff and students to scamper for safety.

While unconfirmed reports have it that there were casualties in shootout, a staff of the school who spoke anonymously debunked the claim and stated that the timely intervention from both police and army personnel from Ngwa High School represses the situation that had already caused the mood in the school to be tensed.

Narrating the incident, one of the students who gave his name as Philip said that he was coming out from the exam hall when gun shots started renting in the air, causing some of them who couldn’t pick the direction of the gunfire to take to safety.

“By the time we came out from our hiding places, we saw four guys that were being frog-jumped to a waiting military van near the school gate from the Chief Security Officer’s office.

“Some of the people nearby, were able to identify one of them as an ex-student of our school (Abia Poly).

“It wasn’t funny. People who had the temerity to cross the school gate were asked to raise their hands before they could cross. For some of us who couldn’t summon the courage, we all had to wait for over 30 mins before we could start going home.

“This is the first time that I am witnessing this and from what I was told, it is not a regular case here. I am sure that the internal security didn’t see it coming, but with the help of police and army, the situation was nipped in the bud before it took another dimension.”

When contacted, a source at the Ngwa High School Forward Operation Base of 144 Battalion who confirmed the arrest of the suspected cultists said that they have been handed over to police for proper profiling and continued investigation. (The Nation)

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