Ikedi Ohakim escapes death
Former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim has narrated how he escaped death on Monday evening, when gunmen attacked his convoy in the state, killing a driver and three other members of his team.
Ohakim, who spoke to Vanguard Newspapers in an interview, said the convoy was en route between Isiala Mbano and Ehime Mbano when the attackers cut them off at 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,” he said.
“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 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,” 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.
