Tragedy struck at Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia state on Monday as more than fifty soldiers stormed the Aba Area Command in search of a policeman who slapped their colleague.
The soldiers who came in five Hilux jeeps and an Armoured Personnel Carrier threatened to burn down the station if the police did not produce the policeman.
247Ureports.com gathered that a policeman in company of his wife were involved in a minor traffic accident as they hit their Mercedes car into another car driven by a soldier in company of his colleague.
The soldiers was said to have alighted from their car and slapped the policeman. The incident which took place at Jubilee road junction, near the Aba Area Command attracted the attention of policeman who pleaded with the soldiers to forget the incident. The soldier refused and threatened to shoot the policeman.
As the encounter went on, the other soldier made a call across to their colleagues who stormed the scene and started flogging everybody in sight, including policemen.
When information got to the Aba Area Command, the policemen mobilized and blocked the gate with their APC, threatening to return fire for fire. Some of them vowed to deal with the intruding soldiers if they dare cross their gate.
The situation grew worse when one of the soldiers stabbed a Deputy Superintendent of Police identified as Rotimi who was discussing with another soldier on how to bring the situation under control. As a result of this, more policemen ran into the premises and brought out their rifles. Minutes later, another Hilux jeep filled with soldiers landed on the spot at top speed.
The incident would have degenerated but for the intervention of the Aba Area Commander, ACP Tunde Mobayo and the Commander of the Army unit at Ngwa road, Major Bello who appealed to both parties to sheathe their sword.
When the all frayed nerves were calmed, not less than two policemen and five shop owners and passersby sustained injuries inflicted on them by soldiers.
As at the time our correspondent visited the area, people were seen in clusters discussing the incident. Many of them displayed injuries inflicted on them by the irate soldiers.
