Chief Jerry Obasi, the Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance in Ebonyi State, said on Tuesday that he narrowly escaped assassination on Monday in Abakaliki, the state capital.
Obasi told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abakaliki that four gunmen allegedly attacked him at his Hill Top residence.
Obasi said that the gunmen waited for him near his house and waylaid him as he parked a vehicle to put a call through to a friend.
He said: “As I was waiting for my friend, a tall, young man with a Kalashinov gun approached me and as I asked him what the problem was, a short fellow appeared from nowhere and brandished a pistol.
“He told me not to move or he would shoot me but I summoned courage and hit them with the car’s door which caused their fall.
“I jumped out from the car immediately and ran for my dear life and was hearing one of them shouting ‘shoot him, shoot him.'”
He alleged that the gunmen zoomed off in the car and was grateful to God for sparing his life.
He lamented that the incident took place few metres away from a police checkpoint, saying that the spate of insecurity had become alarming.
“I reported the matter immediately to the police authorities in the state, which assured me that the gunmen would be arrested and the vehicle recovered,” he said.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sylvester Igbo, confirmed the incident, saying that they had opened investigation into the matter.
Igbo said: “We have sent our signals around and are determined to apprehend the culprits and recover the car.
“We want to assure the residents and citizens of the state of our readiness to reduce the crime rate and protect their lives and property.”
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