By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI—Imo State Deputy Governor’s aide, Mr. Alban Opara, yesterday, allegedly escaped an assassination attempt on his life, by the whiskers.

Madumere

Commenting on the ugly incident in a telephone chat, the Deputy Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Uche Onwuchekwa said the man “narrowly cheated death in the hands of the rampaging hoodlums.”

He also alleged that the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, had called on the security agencies to unmask those behind the attack.

“Opara was allegedly attacked about 7.30pm by the suspected kidnappers or assassins, close to the roundabout at Orji, Owerri North Local Government Area of the state”, Onwuchekwa said.

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According to the Deputy Governor’s CPS, “the information that reached us had it that the hoodlums blocked Mr. Opara, who was driving a Toyota Hilux and forced him out of the vehicle at gunpoint”.

Continuing, Onwuchekwa said that the hoodlums hit Opara on his head with an axe before making good their escape in the Hilux.

Asked if the missing vehicle has been recovered, Onwuchekwa said he was not aware that it has been recovered.

Speaking also on the matter, a citizen who claimed that he witnessed the incident, but spoke on strict grounds of anonymity, said that “what attracted people to the scene was the alarm raised by the victim”.

Continuing, the man explained that “the assailants obviously laid what we can now call an ambush for the man, even as none of us who were around did not know what they were up to”.

Answering a question, the man said it was people’s prompt reaction that led to the hoodlums fleeing and abandoning Opara in a pool of his own blood.

“The assailants broke his head with an axe and left him in a pool of his blood  before fleeing. The hoodlums made away with the Toyota Hilux, his phone and everything in the vehicle, including cash”, the man recounted.

Vanguard also gathered that Opara was taken to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention.

However, the police have not confirmed the incident.