Penultimate Friday, Dr. Alex Otti, the governorship candidate of the
All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in the Abia State election, raised
the alarm that an attempt was made on his life. This generated so much
heat in the state with the Abia State Government taking him on and
pooh-poohing the allegation.
In this interview with JIDE AJANI, EDITOR and OLALEKAN BILESANMI,
Dr. Otti laments that he is at a loss as to the interest of the state
government in the matter, especially since he did not point any accusing
finger at anybody.
According to him, the police are aware of what happened with the
attendant killing of a police guard on duty at the residence where the
attackers struck. In fact, he showed photographs of the lifeless body of
the policeman in a pool of blood. He was shot in the head.In the
photographs, you could see blood on the floor of the house – the images
are too gory to be reproduced here.
And because of on-going investigations by the police, the
identity of the dead is still being kept under wraps. But the interview
as not all about the assassination attempt. He also speaks about the
parlous state of finances of the Abia and why the people of the state
should not allow their future and those of generations unborn, to be
mortgaged. Excerpts: Last week, there was a story about an attempted assassination on your life. What really happened?
I had been away in the U.S.
I returned to the country last (penultimate) Saturday and I went to Abuja.
I was in Abuja from that Monday till the early hours of Thursday.
From there I went to Umuahia on Friday.
As early as 3.30/4am that Friday, the cook in the residence where I
stay in Abuja called to alert my personal assistant that there were
some unknown gun men who scaled the fence from the back of the house and
entered into the premises.
He said they shot one of the police guards in the compound, and he died instantly.
Thereafter, he said they went straight to my own apartment, ransacked everywhere and turned the place upside down.
Of course, I was not there.
He said they then went to the other wing of the duplex which also has an office and ransacked it too.
Did they steal or cart away anything?
Not even a pin was taken.
Nothing at all?
Nothing! So, it was very clear to me that they were hired assassins.
What I did was to call a press conference mid-way during the recess
at the tribunal sitting in Umuahia – that was during the one hour break
of the tribunal so I quickly used the opportunity to address the press,
that same Friday, July 24.
I alerted the general public that some people made an attempt but thank God I was not available to be killed.
I also disclosed that a policeman was murdered in cold blood – I was
very shocked first and foremost that someone was killed. It was one of
the guards that had been with me all week.
Did you point accusing fingers while you did the briefing?
A day later, Saturday, in the evening, I saw an online report that
the governor had issued a press statement. To my consternation, the
statement said that what happened in Abuja was a robbery event; that
they had checked and it didn’t happen in my place but another compound
and that the person that was killed was not attached to me.
The apartment you were referring to, is it rented or your private property?
The place was given to me by a friend. The duplex used to be his own
guest house before he went abroad. So, in the last two years, the place
has been vacant. Since I left the bank around November last year, he
just called me and said he gave me one of the wings so that anytime I am
coming to Abuja I could stay there instead of staying in hotels.
One of the curious things about the statement from the government of
Abia State – mind you I did not mention any name nor did I point any
accusing fingers just as I was very careful not to give out too much
personal information – was that the government gave the name of the
place where the incident happened. The statement said it was Nestoil
but in my press statement, I didn’t mention that because the police was
still investigating and I didn’t think it was proper. Even in the press
interview, I was asked if I suspected anybody and I said I didn’t
suspect anybody because I believe that the police will delve into the
matter thoroughly and they will come up with the culprits and whoever
sent them. That was my comment and it is still there in the public
domain. You can go and check.
With your petition against the incumbent governor still on at
the tribunal and your press briefing during the break could have
suggested that ….?
Look, I was surprised to read what they were saying, that I was whipping up sentiment….
That’s exactly the point I was trying to make?
Somebody was killed. A life was lost. Sentiments?
They said I wanted to give an impression that Abia State was unsafe
in order to actualize my desire to move the tribunal sitting from
Umuahia to Abuja. And I wondered what sense that makes. The attack was
in Abuja. If I wanted the sitting to be moved to Abuja I should not be
claiming that there was an attack in Abuja.
I think the government statement was hurriedly put together and they
didn’t really spare a thought for it, otherwise, it does not make sense.
I was amazed that somebody of my calibre would be attacked and the
sympathy word I would get from my governor is that I was lying.
He concluded his investigation 24 hours after the event happened.
He arrogated to himself the role of the policemen investigating the
case, the Inspector General of Police, the spokesperson of the force and
even the commissioner of police in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. I
was very, very shocked that they could be making such statement.
Again yesterday (Thursday), they reported that the governor said I
was raising false alarm. But, it didn’t matter that a soul was lost. A
bread winner, a father!
What stage is the police investigation now?
They have taken all the statements and samples, because there were
quite a lot of blood stains in the place. They are investigating. I
think it was assigned to experts, the CID. So, with the way they are
going, I believe they are going to be able to come up with some form of
information very soon.
There was another thing that shocked me, that was on Tuesday. The
state chairman of the party, that is PDP, took a page in a national
daily and titled it, “Exposed, the antics of a drowning man”.
I was really shocked. He said in the publication that he had gone
round all the police stations in Abuja between Friday and Tuesday,
and no one confirmed to him that such a thing happened and reported,
that it was not true; that if it was true, I would have gone to the
police. This is a lawyer and as such, he should know better.
A matter that obviously has nothing to do with him, going to the
police station, he thinks they will just volunteer information to him? I
am quite disappointed that he would make that kind of statement. And
indeed he made quite a lot of disparaging remarks. I have chosen not to
respond to him. I thought it was too desperate an attempt. I believe
that the way they have meddled into this matter is a sign of many things
the police would have to unravel.
I have no doubt that the I.G would invite them, at least, to ask them
questions, how did they know the venue of the attack? How could they
say the police man was not shot? Could they make statement and credit
it to the police? When a thing like this happens, it is either armed
robbery, kidnapping or assassination. And they cannot rule out anyone
until they finish their investigation. I think they were too jumpy.
There is a whole lot they may be able to help the police with. Even
though I understand the governor has immunity but that does not stop the
police from inviting him if he has information to give them. I think
they have spoken enough and the police should wade in and find out what
else they know that they have not told us.
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