Related Articles
In the Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Prof. Okey Reuben Okechukwu, provost of the recently founded Federal College of Education, Technical, Isu, nearly missed murder when gunmen assaulted his vehicle.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
The incident took place on Thursday, October 20, 2022, close to the border of Agba and Isu Onicha Local Government Area in the State’s Ishielu LGA.
When the event occurred, it was reported that the Professor was driving a convoy of roughly five vehicles from his office at the college’s temporary location in Isu back to Abakaliki in a Mercedes SUV with the license plate ABJ371 TS.
The provost’s librarian, Mr. Lawal Shuaibu, a police orderly, two of the provost’s assistants, and the driver were all in the vehicle.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened as the convoy traveled across the Agba bridge, where sand sacks were being used to obstruct the route.
The witness described how a young man who was unarmed sprang out and waved down the automobile as a bunch of armed men suddenly trooped out from a nearby bush and started shooting at the car.
“They started fire on the provost’s car as the driver tried to reverse, and the vehicle skidded into a thicket. The driver was wounded by the second round while the first bullet struck Mr. Shuabu, the librarian, in the back of the neck.
“As Mr. Shuaibu was being wounded by another gunshot in the shoulder and falling to the ground while crawling away, the people inside the automobile unlocked the doors and fled for their lives.
“The driver reached a track road and encountered another gang that attacked him with rocks and sticks until the unexpected arrival of a team of policemen from the Nigerian Police’s Isu division, who rescued and took him to a hospital at Isu.”
Another eyewitness claimed that the Toyota Camry, which was carrying some college workers, was the third vehicle in the convoy. The car was shot at while reversing to the Isu settlement, blowing out one of its front tires but killing one of the attackers.
The witness claimed that the hoodlums had already plundered and set fire to the Mercedes Jeep before the police team from Isu and the State Command, Abakaliki, arrived.
The provost, the librarian, and the police orderly were fortunately saved by police teams who searched the bushes, while the other two provost aides managed to cross the river and reach Agba Community, where they received assistance getting back to Abakaliki.
