A police officer was on Friday killed as the convoy of a former governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, was attacked. The ex governor’s covey was attacked at Ihube community on the Okigwe- Enugu expressway. Ihube axis of the expressway had been on the siege of terrorists who had been killing and kidnapping people and travellers for ransoms.
Houses of several politicians in the community had raised with indigenes killed while in their sleeps. These had made many locals to abandon their homes and run to the state capital, Owerri and other places for safety. Confirming the killing of the police officer and the assassination attempt on him, Okorocha said that he was said that his covey could be attacked.
Okorocha who ruled the state between 2011 and 2019 said that the cop killed was one of the policemen deployed from state Government House to take to the burial ceremony of the mother of the immediate past governor of Imo state Emeka Ihedioha.
Okorocha who spoke on Sunday at Amaimo in the Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state, at the birthday anniversary celebration of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the November 11 governorship election in Imo state, Samuel Anyanwu, said that the killing of the cop was on “unfortunate.” The ex Imo governor said that he was returning from Enugu after attending the burial ceremony of the wife of a former senate president, Ken Nnamani.
Okorocha said that the governor of Enugu state, Peter Mbah had released vehicles and security men to take him and his team to Imo state for the burial ceremony of Ihedioha’s mother. He disclosed that it was after he had finished attending the funeral ceremony at Mbaise and the convoy had dropped him at his Spilbat mansion in Owerri and was heading back to Enugu that they were attacked.
Okorocha said that he was embittered because he met save in Enugu only to attacked and a security agent killed in his own state. He said” I am angry. I am very angry. I am angry because I spent two days in Enugu and nothing happened to me but it is in my own state that the convoy released to me by the Governor of Enugu state (a very good man) to attend the burial ceremony of Ihedioha’s mother at Mbaise that was attacked and one police man killed.
“What is happening in Imo state makes me angry. Many people who are running to govern Imo state are not capable but I have seen one man who the cap fits. When it is time I will speak.” One of the ex governor’s aides who spoke in confidence said that the vehicles in the convoy, which comprised of a Sports Utility Vehicle, a bus and a Hilux were shattered by bullets. He said two other security agents we kidnapped by the attackers and were released same day.
