By STEVE OKO

A member of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Ahamdi Nweke, has narrated the scary story of how he escaped an assassination attempt on his life rescently.

He said but for providence, he would have been dead as his seat was riddled with bullets fired at him by the men of the underworld who laid ambush for him at the gate of his country home at Umuhie village in Ike-Ahaba Community, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State.

Narrating his survival story to Vanguard, the 2019 Abia Central Senatorial candidate of APGA, said he was returning from Aba around 7:40pm when the incident took place at the entrance to his compound as the driver stopped for the gate to be opened.

” When my driver drove in front of my gate, flashing his light, I just heard him scream: Daddy there are some boys here!

” The next thing I heard was: Daddy they have guns! Pump action! Then I started looking to see what was happening.

” I could see the one on his left because the light was still flashing on him. The one on my side was pulling my door but the one in the front had shot. When he shot it was as though the force of the gun pulled him up.

” The other one by the side of my window started shooting. I could see that some of the bullets could not penetrate. They just made cracks but some pierced through the window without the glass falling off.

” At that point I couched behind the front seat, and all I was hearing were: ghoam! Gboam! And I was shouting, John reverse, reverse into the road!

” But my driver was shouting: Daddy they have shot me. Luckily he still had the mind to reverse and sped on high speed but was unable to control the steering. And I leaned forward and engaged the drive but the car was moving right and left.

” I leaned over again and engaged the steering and told him to throttle while I controlled the steering. When we drove for about half a Kilometer I asked him to stop but he said they will still catch us. So, I kept controlling the car until we drove into Umuoba, and he stopped and I took over.

” We started scouting for vigilante groups because we no longer have a police post at Umuoba. I called the leader of the foremost vigilante group in Ukwa-la-Ngwa and he said he was on the way.

” So I drove back home and within five minutes the vigilante group landed. By then also youths in my Community had gathered.

“My driver was then rushed to the hospital where tens of pellets were removed from his body. It’s just by God’s grace that that young man and myself are alive today.

” If you look at the seat where I was sitting, you appreciate the huge miracle! Bullets had gone into the seat where I was sitting. All those bullets would have been on my chest if not God.

” In the morning live rounds from AK-47 were found there. Apparently the attackers were more than three. The police said the story would have been different if God had allowed the AK-47 to operate. For the live bullets to fall off it probably means that the bullets jammed”.

The UK- trained Development Economist and Barrister at Law who said he had escaped another attempt on his life in 2007 when he came to run for governorship , expressed faith in God that he would not die unfulfilled.

” I believe that I have not accomplished the mission for which I was created. I won’t die without accomplishing my mission.

“Why will somebody want to kill me? I have never hurt a fly before. As people are saying it could be politically motivated, then I ask myself: why will somebody kill another person if truly politics is for service?”

Asked if he had reported the incident to the police, he said yes, and commended the Abia State Commissioner of Police, Janet Egbede “for being so helpful”.

On whether he was suspecting any person, the UK- trained Development Economist and Barrister at Law said no but expressed confidence that the attackers would soon been apprehended.

He, therefore, appealed to his teeming supporters to calm and allow security agencies to do their job.

” I tell my supporters who are fuming to calm down. We don’t have any suspect. God will settle it. I have no doubt that very soon the hoodlums will be fished out.”

On the implication of the attack ahead of the 2023 elections , the APGA BoT member said that the incident did not mean that Abia had become insecure, arguing that the challenge of insecurity has become a national issue.

” The fact that this happened doesn’t mean that Abia has become dangerous. Insecurity is everywhere. Abia is not an exception. This shouldn’t scare investors.”

He however, called on politicians not to see politics as a do or die affair but a call for service.

” If people see politics as call for service there will be no need to spill blood to be in power. Those who see politics as their only engagement can be desperate.” (Vanguard)

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