Former Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi has narrowly escaped death as gunmen attack his him on Friday as he was traveling to his hometown, Ubima, in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Amaechi, who was once a governor of the state and leads the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in the South-South region, was said to be going to the community to register as a party member when his vehicle was attacked by gunmen believed to be political criminals.
Sources reported that the incident took place between Ubima and the nearby Omuanwa community, where the armed men are said to have fought a shooting battle with Amaechi’s security group.
The attackers were also reported to have burned down the Ward 8 office of the ADC in Ubima, which is Amaechi’s hometown.
Residents said that some people who looked like troublemakers shot at the gate of Amaechi’s family home on Thursday night.
They said this happened after news spread that the former governor was planning to visit the area. On the same day, party members were also said to have been attacked in Igwuruta community during a sensitivity program.
Before Amaechi came to Ubima around noon on Friday, some people thought to be bad guys had set up roadblocks on the way, which made buses carrying ADC supporters turn back before they could get to the event.
The people who are accused of attacking shot into the neighborhood and broke the gate of Amaechi’s home. The security people working with Amaechi’s group shot back at the attackers, which made the attackers run into the bushes nearby.
Amaechi spoke to the people supporting his party who had come to register, asking them to stay calm and praising the security teams for handling the situation quickly.
He said thanked to the state Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC for their help.
“I will thank the Commissioner of Police and the Director of DSS, they demonstrated a lot of professionalism right from the moment he reached out to them,” he said.
“In fact, I didn’t think we’d work together with us like that. I thought they would back these criminals and not help us. But the police came out, the NSCDC came out, and the DSS came out. We are thankful to them.”
Amaechi also asked the security agencies to make sure that the people who carried out the attacks are found and held accountable.
“They must also understand that this situation cannot go on. He said that the way they will show us that this situation can’t keep going is by taking legal action against the people involved in the crime.”
The ex-governor of Rivers State also told the state government to improve security throughout the state to stop violence, especially during election times.
He said that not protecting people’s lives and homes might make citizens take matters into their own hands.
Amaechi also asked the ADC members in the state to work harder at getting people involved before the next elections, saying that the party’s main aim is to take over the presidency.
ADC Rivers State, you need to register in large numbers. You need to ensure there are enough members to catch them off guard. “On election day, they will find out if we plan to vote or not,” he said
