By Tony Adibe
A former Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim has opened up on the violent attack from gunmen who, he confessed, were after his life on Monday but eventually killed four policemen in his convoy.
The former governor escaped death narrowly when the gunmen he described as “well trained professionals” poured volley of bullets on his vehicle at Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. Chief Ohakim, while narrating his predicament after the sad incident, said that his attackers were professionals and not amateur shooters.
The former Governor, who said his attackers drove in a blue BMW 5-Series car, recalled vividly: “We were driving between Isiala Mbano and Ehime Mbano. These people blocked us at a place called Umualumaku. They attacked us from behind and were firing at our vehicles consistently. I thought I was a dead man, and I was with two of my children – my son and daughter.
“What saved me was the bulletproof vehicle. That I am alive today is by the special grace of God and the bulletproof vehicle. But unfortunately for me they killed four of our boys, including the driver. Yes, we lost four of the boys and I am devastated. How can that be? What crime did they commit?”
Ohakim said even when his own driver managed to escape from the scene, the assailants pursued his vehicle.
“They pursued us and continued firing at our tyres. Luckily, the vehicle has what is called run-flat tyres on which you can continue driving even after a puncture. So, even when they shot at the tyres hoping to immobilise us, the vehicle continued moving. If they were ordinary tyres and the vehicle had stopped, they would have cornered and finished us.
“But the tyres held on until we got back home. We drove for about 20 minutes before we got home. That was the saving grace. 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.”
“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 wondered.
