Commercial banks, business centers, and other private offices operating in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State abruptly close down for the day’s commercial and business activities as yet-to-be identified gunmen suspected to be armed struck the city.
The gunmen were said to have attacked and robbed a victim along Aba road.
Unconfirmed reports have it that about three residents sustained gun injuries in the melee.
They were said to be admitted at the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia (FMC) where they are reportedly being attended to.
According to a resident who gave his name as Tochukwu, the robbers who were being pursued by a police patrol van from the Aba road axis of the city took a detour to Ibiam road after they met a gridlock around the popular FMC Junction.
It was gathered that the robbers who rode in a Corolla SUV on getting to Factory road, rammed into a woman driving a Toyota Camry that was coming in the opposite direction.
It was learnt that the as armed robbers in order to scare people away, fired severally into the air and later escaped with the Toyota Camry through Factory road into Afaraukwu Community.
The incident which happened at the location where many commercial banks in Umuahia is situated, forced banks and offices around the area to abruptly close for business.
It was gathered that security in the capital city has been beefed up as several patrol vans of the police and sister security agencies were reportedly deployed at strategic locations, apparently to block possible exit points of with the fleeing robbers who are suspected to be within the capital city.
A student nurse who was said to have been hit at the neck and a hawker said to be hit in the stomach by stray bullets were said to be receiving medical attention at the federal government hospital; FMC, sources disclosed.
Sources from the Abia State Command of the Nigerian Police claimed that it was a foiled robbery of a bank customer who had gone to withdraw a large sum of money from one of the commercial financial institutions along the Bank road.
It was gathered that an AK 47 and a red coloured Corolla car were recovered from the scene of the incident.
