The youths had stormed an Akwa Ibom community in speedboats to attack it when they met resistance from soldiers
The youths threw grenades at homes and fired at them before the soldiers stopped the onslaught
The police has yet to confirm the incident which occurred on Saturday, April 29
Reports from Cross River state say that Nigerian Army troops have killed not fewer than eight armed youths from Ikot Offiong area of the Niger Delta state.
The youths were said to have met their Waterloo as they stormed Ikot Ada Akpan in Oku Iboku in the Itu local government area of Akwa Ibom state in speedboats to attack the community on Saturday, April 29.
Eyewitnesses say that the assailants threw hand grenades and fired shots at houses of residents in the community.
The attack was however stopped promptly by some soldiers guarding the area that killed the eight of them and injured several others.  
Dr Demson Ekong, an eyewitness and indigene of the state, said the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon. He said: “The soldiers intervened and prevented the mercenaries from killing us. “As the assailants were throwing hand grenades and shooting into people’s houses, the soldiers intervened immediately.
On Sunday, we heard that the soldiers killed eight of the assailants.” Recall that several people were killed in a clash between communities in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. The clash was caused by a boundary dispute between people of Oku Iboku in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom and those of Ikot Offiong in Odukpani LGA in Cross River.
Heavy, war-like fighting began on Friday, February 10 night between the communities with light and heavy weapons used by both sides. The report quotes an unconfirmed source as saying that over 20 people were left dead at the end of the fighting.
Most of those killed were from Ikot Offiong after Oku Iboku youths ambushed them in the attack and chased them to the neigbouring Odukpani community.