Tragedy struck in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, when gunmen invaded a bank on college road located within the Iheorji axis of the city, killing four persons and injuring four others.

It was gathered that gunmen numbering about five came in an ash coloured Lexus Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and invaded Iheorji Avenue about 7am and opened fire on eight men at a joint.

A source stated that as the gunmen were shooting, they overheard them saying, “since you swore not to allow us to do the work from where we get our daily bread, we will not allow you to live.”

At the end of the attack which was said to have lasted well over one hour without any challenge from the Ndiegoro Police Division in charge of the area, three persons at the ‘joint’ believed to be members of a local vigilance group were shot dead, while five others were wounded.

Those who sustained injuries were said to have been rushed to an undisclosed private hospital in the city, where one of the victims reportedly died in the wee hours of yesterday, bringing the total number of casualties to four.

One of the victims identified as Herbert and believed to be the major target of the hoodlums had his stomach ripped open by bullets and his intestine splattered on the ground.

Another account of the incident from a resident of the area alleged that the gunmen shot sporadically into the air after the operation and escaped in a commercial bus.

The source who simply gave his name as Chetachukwu said that they had been apprehensive over the fear of being unduly arrested by security agents who couldn’t come to their rescue while the shooting lasted.

The spokesperson of Abia State Police Command, Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed the shooting incident but described it as a drug war between two rival groups. He stated that they were still investigating the matter.