Former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, on Tuesday night said he is alive today because of the mercy of God through the instrumentality of bulletproof vehicle.
Four police officers attached to him were reportedly killed during an attack on his convoy.
The incident was said to have happened on Monday evening at Oriagu in Ehime Mbano LGA of Imo state.
The former Imo governor, according to a Punch report, escaped death by the whiskers as the gunmen bombed the backup vehicle in his convoy as he was returning from a visit alongside his two children.
source close to the governor reportedly said it took the bravery of the driver for Ohakim and his children to escape.
“His excellency was the main target but his driver was smart enough to beat them because they were driving to block him,” the source said.
“Disappointed that their main target had escaped, they blocked his backup vehicle and burnt it. The four policemen with him were burnt.”
This is not the first time a politician will be attacked in Imo state.
On May 30, 2021, Ahmed Gulak, a former political adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was killed in Owerri, the Imo capital, while on his way to the airport.
On December 16, 2022, gunmen killed Christopher Eleghu, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Onuimo constituency in the Imo state house of assembly.
Eleghu was reportedly killed in his country home.
How I escaped…
Narrating his ordeal to TheNiche on Tuesday night, the former Imo state governor explained that what happened was still like a dream.
“We were driving between Isiala Mbano and Ehime Mbano. These people blocked us at a place called Umualumaku.
“The driver who manifested tremendous level of driving skill kept manoeuvring until he lost them at a junction when he went right and not knowing where we had gone, they headed the other direction on the road to Umuahia.
“We then turned and went back to my house. We were there when Imo Government House sent reinforcement from Owerri who brought the corpses of my security people.”
Ohakim, who said he saw the assailants said they were not amateurs.
“This goes beyond the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), I must say. These are professionals, well-trained. They are not ordinary people. They were driving a blue colour BMW 5-series car, brand new. They came to kill me.”
Ohakim lamented the worsening security situation in Imo State.
“I don’t know what this is all about. It is becoming terrible. Won’t people come home again? Are we going to stay in Owerri and Abuja permanently without coming back to our communities?” the former governor mourned.
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