PORT-HARCOURT— RESIDENTS of Port Harcourt were last night trying to recover from the trauma, earlier in the day, of a gun battle between two militant groups that claimed 11 lives. The battle broke out at about 3 a.m. at Amadi-Ama, a suburb of the city, between rival factions of a militant group called Bush Boys.
An account said a rival group had stormed Amadi-Ama from Okirika to attack another group that had fled from there (Okirika). Another account said the battle was triggered off by a misunderstanding among the Bush Boys.
A schoolgirl and 10 other persons were killed in the mayhem. Some residents of the area fled from their homes while those working in the area could not report for duty. A source who lives around the area told Vanguard on condition of anonymity that: “We started hearing gunshots from 3a.m.”
Vanguard, however, gathered that the immediate cause of the armed struggle might not be unconnected with an incident that occurred earlier on in the area which left two people dead. According to police report, one Theophilus Eze, who resides at Central Police Station Barracks, had in the company of his friend, gone to have a drink at Ben Harry Bar and Restaurant located at No.10, Bende Street. After the drink, and as they were attempting to enter their car, a Volkswagen Golf car with number BU 161 APP, when they heard gunshots from behind them.
They soon realised they had been hit — one on his left buttocks and the other on the head. A team of policemen who were dispatched to the scene met other people who sustained injuries. The assailants, who were alleged to have come in a black Peugeot 504 car, were reported to have been shooting indiscriminately when they arrived the scene which led to several people being wounded. The assailants had fled before the arrival of the police. Some of the wounded were taken to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital for treatment and the corpses of two victims that died in the incident were taken to Braithwaite Memorial Hospital.
Vanguard gathered that the battle at Amadi-Ama might be a reprisal attack gone out of hand. Over 200 armed soldiers and policemen were deployed to the scene at about 3p.m. yesterday to restore peace.
