By Cajetan Mmuta
An aide to Abia State Governor, Chief Alex Otti of Abia State, has been shot by unknown gunmen at Okigwe town in Imo state.
The victim, Mr Chukwumerije, was shot yesterday while travelling from Okigwe to Umuahia, the Abia state capital.
It was learnt that men in a car had trailed and shot at him from behind.
His brother, Dike Chukwumerije, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.
Dike said, “He (the governor’s Aide) was on his way from Okigwe to Umuahia when the car behind him opened fire.”
He noted, “It was not his time to die. So, he and the three others with him escaped unscathed, even though the car was riddled with bullets.
“Two years ago, my brother was appointed a Commissioner in Alex Otti’s government. We didn’t send him off with a wish list. All we asked of him was not to bring us shame. Don’t take what is not yours. And use every resource within your power to help our society become a better place for us all.
“I thank God for sparing my brother’s life. I pray he continues to keep us all who are living true to the purpose for which He made us. May His shield of protection continue to hold until we are done. And on the day He calls us home, may we step forward without a single reason to look back. For, as Patty Obasi once soulfully put it, ‘O si mu gaba a tula ujo’. Yes. Eyes forward, no fear,” he said.
“My brother has been a faithful supporter of Alex Otti for at least 10 years. Since at least 2015, he has poured his heart, soul, and resources into campaigns. And when his team did not win, even when they were rigged out, he came back home and licked his wounds in quietness and dignity.
“Where we come from, no matter how provoked, we tend to keep a civil tongue. So, he has always played the sort of politics that has sat well with my conscience.
” I did not fully understand his loyalty to Alex Otti. But knowing him and having implicit trust in his judgement, I stood by my brother in his chosen political path. Till Alex Otti won, and I came to see why my brother had placed such trust in him for so long.
“In two years, Abia has turned around. I don’t praise politicians lightly because – to me – one should not be effusively praised for doing one’s job. However, he is doing the job to a level that we have not seen in Abia in many years. And, today, I am proud to be Abian.”
