.Atiku, Soludo Commiserate With Senator Ubah
The identities of some of the victims of the Sunday evening deadly attack on the convoy of the senator representing Anambra South, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah has been unveiled.
Sources disclosed that about 10 persons died in the attack, which was suspected to be an assassination attempt.
One source said: “Senator Ifeanyi 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 titled chief in the neighbouring Nri Community and had just driven to Enugwu-Ukwu to drop someone who visited him, and was scheduled to be travelling to Lagos this morning, and he was unlucky to be at that point at the time when Senator Ubah was going to be attacked.
“He was driving a big jeep, 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 policemen 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 bulletproof car, his driver managed to manoeuvre out of the damaged cars and drove away, even as it was being shot at,” the source narrated.
Meanwhile, prominent Nigerians have been commiserating with the Senator over the deadly attack.
Some of the prominent Nigerians include the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi and Anambra State governor Chukwuma Soludo.
According to Atiku in a tweet; “The attack on the convoy of Senator @Dr_IfeanyiUbah stands condemned. My condolences go to the families of those injured and killed in the attack,” he tweeted after the attack.
“I share my sympathy with the Distinguished Senator. May the souls of the departed rest in peace. We’ve got work to do to ensure that safety and security return to our dear country.”
On his part, Obi strongly condemned the Sunday attack. Obi in a post on his verified Twitter handle @PeterObi, on Monday, said the attack on Senator Ifeanyi Ubah was condemnable and unacceptable.
In his words, “the attack is condemnable and unacceptable. I hereby re-emphasise the urgent need for enhanced security of lives and property in society. I have continued to lay emphasis on the urgent need for enhanced security and protection of life and property in our society.
“Those who engage in these dastardly acts should be fished out swiftly using all machinery available to government, and promptly punished in accordance with our laws.
“I deeply commiserate with my brother, Senator @Dr_IfeanyiUbah, and extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones in this ugly incident.
“I enjoin the Federal and State governments to strenuously strive to curb the menace of insecurity rampaging our Nation.
According to Soludo while reacting to the incident via a statement by his Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, he described the attack as “the last ditched-effort of a sinking boat by these criminal elements”.
“He reassured that all security agencies are now on full alert to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous attack, who will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” Soludo’s aide added.
“The Governor commiserates with Dr Ifeanyi Ubah and families of his aides who lost their lives as well as the State Commissioner of Police, for the Policemen who also lost their lives.”
It would be recalled that unidentified armed men, on Sunday, attacked the convoy of Senator Ubah and killed no fewer than 10 people including trusted aides and some police operatives at Enugwu-Ukwu community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The gunmen reportedly opened fire on the convoy, police operatives in the convoy responded and some of the policemen were gunned down in the shoot-out.
