Soldiers patrolling the area under a joint patrol operation code name ‘Aduma,’ meaning thunder had arrested one of the attackers and recovered a gun from him. The chief of the Hausa community in the town, Alhaji Saidu Sarkin Hausawa said the attackers went to the area around 7pm on motorcycles. “Though we are yet to know there motive, but I suspect they were armed robbers. I don’t want to rule out other reasons like reprisal, but I still want to believe it was a mere robbery. The soldiers who arrested one of attackers refused to speak further. Some members of the indigenous community came to sympathize with us after the attack. That suggests further that it may not be a reprisal attack.”
“But when the attackers came, they did not shoot any of the guns they were carrying, but they attacked anybody at sight and carted away over N100,000, handsets and other valuables. Majority of our people have run away from Oron following the violent clash in some parts of the north for fear of reprisal attack. There is no major threat here yet because we are living in peace with the people. That notwithstanding, we are on alert,” he said.
Police Public Relations officer (PPRO) in the state, ASP Onyeka Orji, said: “I am still trying to get details of the incident.”
