Ikedi Ohakim, the ex-governor of Imo state, was driving in a convoy ambushed on Monday night, resulting in the deaths of four police officers. Ohakim claims that the bulletproof nature of their automobile spared him and his two children.
Gunmen ambushed them when they were travelling between the Isiala Mbano and Ehime Mbano Local Government Areas in Imo state, Ohakim told reporters in Owerri on Tuesday. The event happened in the Umualumaku neighbourhood.
Ohakim recounts what happened: “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. I am alive today by God’s special grace and the bulletproof car.
“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 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 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 car had stopped, they would be 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 showed tremendous driving skills, kept manoeuvring until he lost them at a junction when he went right. Not knowing where we had gone, they headed in 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.”
“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 returning to our communities?” the former governor mourned,” Ohakim said.