EDO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has
alleged that the auto crash which led to the death of three journalists
in his convoy was an assassination attempt on his life.
Oshiomhole escaped death by a whisker
after a truck reportedly rammed in his convoy along the Warrake Road
while on his way to Auchi after receiving some Peoples Democratic Party
members who defected to his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, in
Afuze on Saturday.
Apart from the three dead journalists,
others in the convoy, including security and government officials, among
others were seriously injured.
The governor said in Benin on Sunday,
“They (truck driver and his assistant) were just inside the vehicle,
they were not carrying anything, they were not carrying any goods. We
asked the other occupant about the driver, he said he didn’t know, he
just ran into the bush. He stayed in the bush until after we had left
and those who were still around the scene saw him when he was trying to
run away after we had left.
“If I was in the regular jeep
(official), he could have hit me because I was driving a small car which
I decided to drive myself, if I was in that car, it could have been my
lot, he pushed that car off the road and then crashed into the one the
journalists were driving in.
“It is a straight road and not a bend,
so if he was losing control he could have swerved into the bush. When I
asked the guy where is the driver, he said he (driver) opened the door
of the vehicle and left, he claimed the driver just said he should
follow him. I asked him, you are not under 18 and somebody just tells
you, ‘follow me and then the man passed his town passed another and went
into another local government and you still did not ask questions?’
“Well, we’ve asked the SSS and the
police to investigate. Then, before we knew anything, the PDP was
already issuing a condolence message.
“Although we’ve been hearing all kinds
of things but we are not going to… the blood of those dead guys will not
go in vain. We will get justice for them and more importantly those who
thought that our fighting spirit will be weakened are joking, because
we are challenged the more.”
Oshiomhole said he helped in rescuing those trapped in their vehicles after the accident.
“For about 40 minutes we were trying to get them out, but God is in control, I believe the devil s a liar,” he said.
Publicity Secretary of the state chapter
of the PDP, Mr. Mathew Uroghide, said his party was shocked by the
governor’s allegations.
He said, “My first reaction is that I
am indeed taken aback that the governor is pointing accusing fingers at
the PDP. It is sad that at a time the state is mourning the death of
journalists, the governor is trivialising the matter by playing politics
with the lives of those who died.”
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