Pandemonium and panic broke out on Sunday, and that panic gripped the ancient city of Boji-Boji-Agbor, in the Ika South local government area of Delta state. It began when an aide, one Hilary Ibegbulem, and three armed thugs working for Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, confronted an Agbor based Hotelier, Mr. Sunny Okonye, and shot at him several times with a pump action shot gun at close range.
According to several eyewitnesses of the accounts, sources told SaharaReporters that the attempted murder which occurred in broad daylight, was not unconnected to the burning of Senator Okowa’s 2015 governorship campaign billboard at the College of Education junction, in Agbor. Mr. Okonye was accused to have done the burning of the billboard, himself.
An impeccable source who witnessed the shooting of the Hotelier, confided in a SaharaReporters correspondent, and said that those who carried out the bloody attack were led by the senator’s Special Assistant, Hilary. They are reportedly members of the ‘killer squad’ of Senator Okowa, who are bent on killing anyone who dares to speak-out against him, as well as those perceived not to be supporting his 2015 governorship ambition.
Senator Ifeanyi Okowa represents the Delta North Senatorial District of the state.
“Okowa has an armed gang that he uses to terrorize our people, whom he thinks does not key into his ambition. We are living in serious fear,” the source said. To emphasize the point, the source added, “Once you are not for him, they frame you up, and go after you with dangerous weapons. This was how this same killer squad sometime ago bloodily attacked Mr. Friday Okoh, alias HERO, too. And if not for God’s intervention, by now, he would have been a dead man. We are sick and tired of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, he wants to kill everybody because of his ambition. This is not the kind of governor we Deltans need.”
Telling his story to SaharaReporters in an undisclosed trado-medical clinic, the victim, Mr. Sunny Okonye, who is also the owner of Sunny Guest House, named Boji Boji-Agbor, noted that on that fateful day, after a usual association meeting in his guest house, he drove off on to an errand, and along the way, he was confronted by the Senator Okowa’s alleged killer gang. They accused him of burning down Senator Okowa’s 2015 governorship campaign billboard at the College of Education junction in Agbor.
According to Okonye, he said that, “I am innocent of the accusation, because I don’t expect myself to stoop so low, and carry out burning of Senator Okowa’s billboard, or anyone’s billboard for that matter. Of what gain and benefit is it to me? Nothing.
"Before I could make any comment, the gang had already barricaded my car with their Mercedes Benz car, and they then brought out three pump action guns, and started shooting at me sporadically, (and) at a very close range. Even when I was shouting for help, they continued the shooting, until I managed to enter my car, and drove straight to the Agbor police station. From there, I was given a police paper and rushed to a hospital,” he said still in pain from his wounds.
“I recognized very well those armed thugs (were) working for Senator Okowa. Most especially, as the shooting was going on, I saw, and recognized very well too, Okowa’s SA, called Hilary Ibegbulem. (He was) telling the thugs, repeatedly, that they should make sure that I am dead before they leave me, but as God will have it, I managed to escape to the police station. I still want to repeat it, that I am very innocent of what I am being killed for. I don’t know anything about the burning of Okowa’s billboard.”
When contacted to know if any arrest has been made so far, the Divisional Police Officer, (DPO), SP Dike Albert, who was already set taking the victim, and the case to the state police headquarters, in Asaba, declined comment to a SaharaReporters correspondent. He insisted that the DPOs are not permitted to speak with the press, publicly, on any issue.
All efforts to reach Senator Ifeanyi Okowa for comments, at press time, proved unsuccessful, as he rebuffed all of our calls, and text messages, and had placed his mobile telephone off-line.
No comments:
Post a Comment