The All Progressive Grand Alliance candidate in the April governorship election in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has alleged that he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on his life by yet-to-be-apprehended gunmen, who invaded his private guest house at Maitama District in Abuja.
Otti, who made the allegation at a news briefing on Friday at his campaign office in Umuahia, said the attackers stormed his residence around 2am on Friday after he had left for Umuahia on Thursday morning to attend the tribunal proceeding in his petition against the victory of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
He said according to the information he received, the attackers scaled through the back fence and gained access into the house before shooting one of the policemen guarding the house, who died on the spot.
Otti said the police had begun investigations into the matter, adding that some persons had been invited for questioning but refused to disclose their identities.
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He said, “It was a pure case of assassination attempt on my life but the God I serve did not allow them to succeed.
“I have been in Abuja for one whole week and guess what could have happened if I did not leave in the morning before the attack.”
The APGA candidate said he had been receiving pockets of threats to his life but never imagined it could get to “this magnitude”.
He appealed to the police and the relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring to book anyone found culpable.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Abia State, Mr. Udevioutu Onyeke, begged for time to confirm the incident from the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
He later called back and told our correspondent that the Force PPRO had confirmed the incident but said Otti was not the direct target.
The PPRO said the area where Otti’s house was located in Abuja was attacked by robbers, who killed a policeman during the operation.
