By Charles Igbo
Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has an idea of those who, almost, murdered a former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim a few days ago.
Ohakim survived an assassination attempt on his life in the afternoon of Monday, 2nd January, 2023. He was on his way back to Owerri from his country home when his convoy was blocked by the assassins.
Ohakim said he was saved by his bullet proof vehicle and its tyres-drive flat- which still drives smoothly even when punctured.
But the occupants of his backup car, four Policemen, were not as lucky as Ohakim and his two children who were in the vehicle with him. The assassins bombed the vehicle they were in. They died on the spot.
Uzodinma who spoke in an interview with Channels Television on Friday held Politicians in the State responsible for the fatal attack. He had hinted on that when he addressed Stakeholders in the State at a well attended event earlier.
Proof: Only members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and associates of the Government, according to the Governor, were victims of the assassinations and arsons in the State.
On the Channels Television programme, Uzodinma spoke more clearly on that.
The Governor: “Today, in my conversation with stakeholders in Imo State, I made it very clear that events of the past have shown clearly that those behind the insecurity in Imo State are Politicians and that this insecurity is politically contrived.
“For instance, in that presentation which I did, I came out with a clear position that all the people that have been attacked in Imo State, all the houses that have been burnt down, are members of tye APC and those very close to my Government.
If you look at it, there is no member of any other political party that has been attacked in Imo State; no member of any other political party that his house has been burnt down, and this has continued to happen.
“You just mentioned that of the former Governor Ikedi Ohakim. Three days after he summoned a special dinner of Imo Stakeholders, encouraged them to support the Government of the APC, two days after, he was attacked, and his security details killed.”
The Governor disclosed that some of the kingpins behind the attacks have been arrested and that he had challenged Security Agencies to make it public.
Uzodinma: “So, I have presented this matter to Imo people and of late, some arrests have been made – some of the kingpins. So, I have challenged the Security Agents in Imo State to make public, as soon as possible, the report of that investigation, and those behind these killings in Imo State will be named. And they are going to do just that. I’m not going to play politics with the security of Imo State.”
Ohakim, in his first reaction after the attack, quickly exonerated members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra from tye attack on his convoy. He said his attackers, who drove in a new, blue- coloured BMW 5-series were not amateurs. He identified them as professionals.
