Former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim has absolved the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of any involvement in the vicious attack unleashed on his convoy on Monday, January 2, 2023 by unknown gunmen.
The gunmen reportedly killed a driver and four of his police orderlies.
Ohakim said the vicious attack was beyond the capacity of the IPOB or its militant arm, Eastern Security Network (ESN) to execute.
Ohakim stated that the incident happened around 4:30 pm around Orie-Agu axis in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state while on his way from his hometown back to Owerri, the state capital, in company with his daughter and son.
He added that the gunmen struck “from nowhere,” attacking his convoy and killing four members of his security team who rode inside the escort vehicle behind his official car while he was able to escape in his own vehicle due to the swiftness of his driver.
Ohakim said; “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?”
The former governor added that after his escape, the gunmen pursued his vehicle and continued firing at the tyres.
Luckily, according to him, the vehicle has “run-flat tyres” which enables one to continue driving even after puncture.
“So, even when they shot at the tyres hoping to immobilize 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,” Ohakim said.
From Ohakim’s assessment, the gunmen were not amateurs but “well-trained professionals.”
He added that the mode of attack seemingly “goes beyond the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).”
“They are not ordinary people. They were driving a blue colour BMW 5-series car, brand new. They came to kill me,” the former governor said.
The police authorities in the state are yet to issue any statement on the attack.
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