By Cajetan Mmuta
It was a terrifying experience on Tuesday as heavily armed men attacked the campaign rally of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State.
The ugly incident occurred at Odata Primary School in Ihiala, Ihiala local government area of the State.
However, members of the party had escaped death by whiskers as they preparing to hold the political rally in the area when the gunmen surfaced from nowhere.
But as fate may have it, Governor Willie Obiano, candidate of the party for the November 6th Governorship election and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other Chieftains of the party were yet to arrive the campaign ground when the incident happened.
Security operatives deployed to ensure peace and orderliness at the venue of the rally were said to have engaged the Gunmen in exchange for the fire which helped to repel the hoodlums.
A combined team of police and military personnel were later sent to fortify security in the area and bring the tense situation under control.
Findings revealed that the APGA campaign was about to kick off in the morning hours when the gunmen released volleys of bullets which sent everybody scampering for safety in different directions.
It was further learned that the convoy of Governor Willie Obiano was held hostage during the stampede that followed the attack.
But the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment Mr. C. Don Adinuba when contacted frowned at the reports in some section of the media linking the Governor with the attack.
He said Governor Willie Obiano was in far Ogbaru town when the incident took place.
Eye witness account said, “The governor’s convoy was held for about one hour, while gunshot was ratcheting everywhere in the area.”
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state command, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga who confirmed the incident said, “The attack happened at Odata Central school beside Saint Martins Church, Ihiala. It happened at about 9:30 am.”
He said, “We recovered one Ak 47 riffle, two magazines with 30 rounds of ammunition, and a Toyota Hilux vehicle from the attackers.”
“The Police and military are currently on the ground now while mop-up operations are ongoing. Normalcy has since returned to the area,” Ikenga stated.
However, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment Mr. C. Don Adinuba in reaction said Security forces repelled the attack by unknown gunmen and urged the people of the state to report persons with gunshots
He disclosed that a combined team of policemen and soldiers this afternoon repelled an attack by unknown gunmen at Odoata Primary School, Ihiala, where the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was scheduled to organize a campaign rally for the November 6 gubernatorial election in Anambra State.
According to him, “the gunmen came on various motorcycles and in three vehicles, namely, a Toyota Lexus 350 ES with registration number EKY 765 EX, Toyota RAV4 with number JJJ 434FP and a Ford van whose number could not be ascertained at the time of this report because it caught fire during the exchange of bullets between the gunmen and security forces.”
He noted that the gunmen, unable to withstand the superior firepower of the soldiers and police officers, quickly ran into the large premises of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital which is directly opposite the campaign ground.
“They suffered serious injuries, even though they managed to shoot a gallant soldier”, according to an eyewitness who did not want his name disclosed in the media for fear of his safety.
“If the gunmen had not run into the hospital which is a very delicate place to shoot any person, the security men would have gunned all of them down ”.
Security forces, who recovered all three vehicles and motorcycles used by the gunmen, were searching the area by the time this report was filed.
The Anambra State Police Command has requested the people in the area to help look out for people with gunshots and report them.
It has also asked hospitals and other health facilities in both Ihiala Local Government Area and neighboring communities in Imo State to report to security agencies patients with gun wounds.
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Meanwhile, Governor Willie Obiano has commended police officers and soldiers who repelled the attack for their gallantry.
Speaking to newsmen at Atani in Ogbaru Local Government Area where he led a large crowd of APGA faithful to welcome the APGA governorship candidate in the forthcoming election, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, Governor Obiano described the response of the security men as professional and patriotic.
In the same vein, Professor Soludo, who lost three policemen guarding him when he was attacked on March 31 in his hometown of Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area while addressing the youth of the town, lauded the security forces for bravery.
“These security men and women in Anambra State lay down their lives for us and they do their best because of the encouragement they receive from the security-conscious state government, among other factors.
“We expect more professional exhibition as days go by and the election date approaches”.
The APGA candidate expressed sympathy for innocent victims of the attack, pleading with every aggrieved person “to lay down his or her weapon and opt for dialogue to resolve all differences in the interest of our people”.
