By Collins Osuji, Owerri
Former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has escaped attempted assassination after hoodlums attacked his convoy.
It was reported that the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, had released vehicles and security men to take Okorocha and his team to Imo State for the burial of mother of the past governor of the state, Emeka Ihedioha.
This was after Okorocha had spent two days in Enugu State attending the burial ceremony of the wife of the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.
The hoodlums, The Guardian learnt, killed one of the orderlies and kidnapped the Chief Security Officer (CSO) as well as a driver in the convoy during the attack.
The incident, The Guardian also gathered, happened at Ihube community along Okigwe/Enugu Expressway around 7:00 p.m.
Confirming the assassination attempt on him,
Okorocha, who confirmed the assassination attempt on him, yesterday, at Amaimo in Ikeduru Local Council of the state, during the birthday anniversary celebration of Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Imo State November 11 governorship election, said the convoy had dropped him and were on their way to Enugu when the attack occurred.
According to Okorocha, “the cop killed was one of the policemen deployed by the Enugu State Government House to take me to the burial ceremony of Emeka Ihedioha’s mother Friday.
He described the attack as unfortunate, saying that he was embittered because he was safe in Enugu only to be attacked and a security man attached to him killed in his own state.
He said: “I am very angry. I am angry because I spent two days in Enugu and nothing happened to me but it is in my own state that the convoy released to me by the governor of Enugu State ( a very good man) to attend the burial ceremony of Ihedioha’s mother at Mbaise was attacked and one policeman killed. What is happening in Imo State makes me angry.”
Meanwhile, one of the former Imo State governor’s aides, who spoke with The Guardian in confidence, said the vehicles in the convoy were shattered by bullets.
He also disclosed that the two other security men kidnapped were released same day after the attackers had been interrogated.
Source: The Guardian