The unprovoked attack left two dead including wife of one of the security operatives' who was passing the road with her husband.
The Eke community in Udi local government area of Enugu State has condemned the deliberate attempt by the leadership of the Nigerian Army at the 82 Division, Enugu to deny the brutal attack and killing of vigilante operatives.
SaharaReporters had reported on Sunday that Nigerian Army soldiers aiding kidnappers in Enugu State on Thursday, shot six operatives of the state neighbourhood watch vigilant attached to Eke community who were responding to a distress call along 9th Mile -Eke- Ezeagu road.
The unprovoked attack left two dead including wife of one of the security operatives' who was passing the road with her husband.
Although, the Nigerian Army has confirmed the unfortunate incident, it denied attacking local security operatives, claiming that those killed were hoodlums.
Reacting to the deliberate efforts of the Nigerian Army to label the security men they shot, four of whom are in critical conditions at a hospital, the Eke Community called on the Nigeria Defence Headquarters, Abuja, to ensure that all the soldiers who participated in the criminal act were arrested and prosecuted.
The community in statement issued on Monday, titled: "Facts Behind the Eke Unfortunate Incident," which was signed by the Chairman of Eke Progressives Forum, Chief Uba Anichebe, said that if the soldiers who committed the atrocity conduct were not brought to book, it would confirm the insinuations that personnel of the Nigerian military where behind the kidnapping ring business going on in the state and other parts of the South East region.
Lambasting the leadership of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army to describe members of the community's vigilant as hoodlums, Anichebe queried, "how possible can security men selected to work for our community rub the same town with their uniform without mask? Is the woman who was with her husband also a security or a rubber also?"
The Forum chairman said that their statement was to clear the Army's allegations that the operatives who were responding to distress call were hoodlums and also set the record straight as it concerned the event of Thursday, June 29, 2023.
"We have conducted a preliminary investigation into the sad security incident involving Members of our Neighbourhood Guards, and the outcome of which is presented below:
"Eke Neighborhood Security Guards had through the CSO (Chief Security Officer) received news of bandits attack at Ugwudinso Axis on Thursday, June 29, 2023 around the hours of 7pm.
"In line with the extant operating guidelines, the Guards mobilised to the incident venue, but had prior to the movement of the Guards, alerted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Ninth MIle of the bandits attack. They were in agreement for the Guards to advance while the police joined shortly.
"When they got to the incident venue, the Guards met three soldiers that confronted them and opened fire on them at close range even when they identified themselves and were in traditional vigilante security uniforms with identity cards.
"Shocked and confounded to the marrow, the Soldiers accused them of being kidnappers and shot them profoundly at close range."
The statement added, "It took the intervention of the Ninth Mile Policemen to get the soldiers to stop their offensives and assaults against the Guards that were already shot several times."
The statement noted that before the arrival of the policemen, one of the Security Guards, by name Ebuka Oke had already died while the other three Guards were rushed to the hospital for resuscitation. "One of the Guards was shot on the abdomen and being restored from a rather critical condition.
"Also shot dead was Amokwe Udi, a woman resident at Enugu Eke, who was brutally shot together with the husband by the Soldiers. Both were on bike to Eke during this incident.
"The wife died on the spot while the husband is still receiving treatment at same hospital with our guards."
The community, however, regretted the deliberate misrepresentations going on in so many forums "by way of voice messages and accusing our Guards of being involved in the crime but these are mere fabrications and mischievous the Army was promoting to protect the soldiers from being held accountable for their criminal act.”