By John Ugo, Awka
There was a flow of tears and sorrow on Saturday as Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, the lawmaker representing Anambra South Senatorial District in the National Assembly under the platform of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), friends and associates converged in Mbaukwu community in Awka South local government area to bid final farewell to his aide, late Mr. Ikechukwu Obum in the state.
Also, at the funeral, facts emerged on how the incident occured as a close business friend and secondary school mate to Sen Ifeanyi Ubah (names withheld) narrated how the rampaging gunmen first opened fire on the bullet proof Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) which had the school mate and Ubah with the driver on the day of the dastardly act.
This as the Senator representing Anambra Central District, Uche Ekwunife, described the attack on her colleague Sen Ifeanyi Ubah as purely an assassination attempt.
The deceased Obum was among the five aides killed including three security operatives attached to Senator Ubah’s convoy when gunmen suspected to be hired assassins attacked his convoy at Enugwu Ukwu three weeks ago.
At the grave side , it took the assistance of Sen Ekwunife and other top politicians across political parties and associates to calm down Sen Ifeanyi Ubah who wept uncomfortably as the body of his most trusted aide was lowered to mother Earth
Ubah who fought tears could not speak due to the devastation and psychological trauma, the demise of his aide caused him.
According to Ubah’s close ally, “I have always carried Sen Ubah on my SUV and he likes to sit in front at the passenger side.”
He said, “But before the incident,my vehicle had problems on my way to Owerri from Asaba so I had to join him in his own car and the gunmen came straight to the front of the jeep and opened fire.
“Had it being that my SUV didn’t have problems I would have carried the senator in my SUV and it is not a bullet proof vehicle both of us would have been gone by now.
“It was that my vehicle problem that saved Sen Ifeanyi Ubah and myself from the barrels of the gunmen.
He also confirmed that a security operative attached to Sen Ubah returned fire and killed one of the gunmen and injured like two of their gang members but they carried them into their vehicle and people at Enugwu Ukwu junction were clapping for them.”
On her part, Ekwunife noted at the funeral ceremony of Mr Ikechukwu Obum that this is not the Anambra state that people know.
She said, “I lack words to express how I feel about what happened and I also lack words to to console my colleague Sen Ifeanyi Ubah over the demise of two of his trusted staff but God says in everything we should give him thanks.”
“Nobody knows what happened and how it happened but this is not the Anambra of our dream and this is not the Anambra we know where people come out and take away lives that they do not have and they cannot give.”
“I thank God for saving the life of Ifeanyi Ubah because it would have been the other way but God said no but for me I call it assassination attempt on his life and nothing more.
“Because if you look at the level of destruction of the vehicle he was riding ion you will know that it is purely an assassination attempt on his life.
“But God saved him because of who he is that is why I came to support him and sympathize with him in this time of grief and I ask him to take it easy and take heart.
“God knows and decides the fate of men but most importantly I want to console the Obum family, I know them too well and they are good people and only God knows while He took his life; she added
