Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has condemned the killing of five soldiers in Umunze, a community in Orumba South Local Government Area of the state.
Some gunmen, on Wednesday had opened fire on the soldiers who were in a Sienna patrol vehicle, killing five of them in the attack.
A yet-to-be-identified resident, said to have been caught by stray bullets, was also killed in the attack.
Mr Soludo described the attack as “wicked and cruel”.
“The perpetrators of this act must pay. Going forward, our actions will show, as these people must surely pay for this heinous and repulsive attack,” the governor said in a press statement issued on Wednesday by his spokesperson, Christian Aburime.
The attack occurred less than three weeks after gunmen ambushed a Nigerian senator’s convoy, killing about five people, including two police officers.
The senator’s convoy was attacked in Enugwu-Ukwu, a community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria’s south-east.
Mr Soludo vowed that those behind the attack on the senator would be tracked down as soon as possible.
“We are not going to rest on our oars, including those people that attacked Senator Ifeanyi Ubah and the rest. There will be absolutely no hiding place for them,” he said.
The governor urged residents of the state to remain calm and law-abiding, assuring that security agencies were “on top of the situation.”