•••As Death Toll in Attack Rises to Nine
By Kamsi Anayo, Awka

Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra state, has condemned the attack by yet-to-be identified gun men on Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah’s convoy, Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial Zone on Sunday evening.

This was made known in a statement on Monday signed by the Press Secretary to the Governor, Christian Aburime.

It was reported on Sunday evening that Sen. Ubah narrowly escaped bullets of some gun wielding men who attacked his convoy at Enugwu-Ukwu road in Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.

While condemning the attack, the governor said government is fully determined to wipe out every act of criminality in the state.

He reiterated that “this is the last ditched-effort of a sinking boat” by these criminal elements.

Soludo reassured that all security agencies are now on full alert to fish out the perpetrators of the henious attack, who will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

The Governor commiserated with Ubah, the families of his aides who lost their lives and State Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Eworo Echeng for the Policemen who also lost their lives.

Meanwhile, about nine persons were said to have died in the convoy of the senator.

Details gathered shows that some of the deceased persons have been identified.

Though Anambra State Police spokesperson, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga denied knowledge of the exact number of persons killed, sources said about 10 persons died in the attack, which was suspected to be an assassination attempt.

A source said: Sen. Ubah lost his personal treasurer, Mr Ikechukwu Odum who is his most trusted aide. He also lost his personal assistant, Mr Goodness Mathias.

“Another man killed, who was not in the convoy of the Senator was identified as Onowu Agu-Ukwu Nri.

He is said to be a title chief in neighbouring Nri community, and had just driven to Enugwu-Ukwu to drop someone who visited him, who was be traveling to Lagos this morning.

He was unlucky to be at the location where Senator Ubah was attacked.

“He was driving in SUV utility vehicle , so the assassins may have thought he was in the same convoy with the senator, and he was gunned down.”

Other people identified to have been killed were six Mobile Police Men who were riding in the convoy of the Senator, and a driver, who was said to be driving one of Ubah’s cars.

The attack has been described as an assassination attempt on the senator, as eyewitnesses said the gunmen targeted every car in his convoy, especially his security men, and riddled them with bullets.

“In the confusion yesterday, all the cars were just jamming each other. Since the vehicle the senator was driving in was a bullet proof car, his driver managed to manoeuver out of the damaged cars and drove away, even as it was being shot,” the source narrated.