For the immediate past Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, the date of May 14, 2014 will ever remain indelible in his mind and diary, for if not for a stroke of fate, he, the wife and first son would have perished in an organized inferno that engulfed his private residence located at Prefab Estate Aladimma, Owerri, Imo state.
According to the former Governor, he arrived Sam Mbakwe Airport that fateful day at about 3 pm, in company of his wife Chioma and son, Obinna, and headed straight to Okohia, Isiala Mbano, his home town to consult with his political associates over a critical political pronouncement he is billed to make tomorrow, regarding his 2015 Imo Governorship ambition.
Ohakim said he would have returned to his Owerri residence that same night after dropping his wife and son at Okohia, but had to attend to visitors for a long time, and therefore, could not make it back to Owerri.
“At about 1.30 am, yesterday, I received a call from one of the security men guarding the House, that they heard an explosion, and then the house went into flames. As they saw the burning house, they made frequent calls to fire service for help but there was no response through out the whole night” said Ohakim.
He disclosed that he could not sleep through out that night and left Okohia by 5am with the wife and son to see the extent of the fire damage and was dumb founded to see that all that he has in Owerri as a house was gone, without salvaging a single property from the House that had its interior completely destroyed by fire.
When Trumpeta visited the scene, it was a devastated environment, with security personnel taking notes.
Speaking to one of the Guards, he showed our reporter a PVC ceiling from where the perpetrators created a hole and threw in what could be a gas or fuel bomb that destroyed the entire man.
However, the job was expertly done that a visitor looking at the house from outside would not realize that the standing building is just a skeleton, a relic, whose interior was completely destroyed.
All the three rooms in the bungalow were in ruins, as all the furniture turned to ashes.
The living room was completely burnt except for a miraculously standing Piano that was covered by ashes, but was still functioning.
The security said they were at their quarters located at the front of the modest Bungalow when the evil men struck.
Speaking to Journalists, Ohakim said the destroyed 3-Bed room apartment was the only property he has in Owerri, and it was bought in 1992 when he served as commissioner for commerce under the Chief Evan Enwerem’s administration.
Ohakim believed that the incident was a deliberate attempt to assassinate him, as the perpetrators targeted his room, but thanked God that no life was lost, even as he said he could not quantify the damage in money, as he lost his cherished artifacts and Books.
Ohakim said that he led Imo state for four years and there was no single political assassination, nor did he chase away opponents from the state, and wondered who he offended that was after life.
The former Governor said that he has been sick for months now and just returned from an over sea medical treatment and decided to come home for an uncle’s burial.
He said that all the letters he wrote to the present administration in the state to pay him his allowances to enable him treat himself were all thrown away, even as he has not received his gratuities like other former Governors from other states.
“Now the only property I have in Owerri have been destroyed. Am I not qualified to have at least a guest house in Owerri as a former Governor? Should I be sleeping in Hotels in Owerri after leading Imo state for four years? He lamented.
Ohakim said that when he was sworn in as Governor in 2007, he met backlog of salaries that were owed workers, and paid them all but today all the appointees who served under his administration are still owed two months salary including their severance allowances years after leaving office.
He maintained that in the face of all intimidations, he cannot be cowed from contributing to the politics of Imo state, pointing out that tomorrow, Saturday, he will still go ahead to make his declaration on the 2015 Imo Governorship.
Meanwhile, Imo State government said it has been drawn to the dastardly and despicable act of setting ablaze the residential building of the former Governor of the State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, situated at Prefab Aladinma Owerri by unknown elements with properties in the house all burnt down.“And for the former Governor’s house to be burnt on Wednesday night, barely forty-hours to his reported declaration of his intention to run for the 2015 governorship of the state calls for concern.
The Imo State Government condemns the act in its entirety. It is an act of cowardice. It is barbaric and unfortunate, in all ramifications.The government of the day with Owelle Rochas Okorocha has been preaching tolerance politics without bitterness among Imo politicians, and the governor has also been demonstrating that both in words and in action since he came on board in 2011.
And that is why, politicians in the state irrespective of their political parties have been coming to the state to say whatever they like or do whatever they want to do, without any interference or disturbance. Journalists in the state have also been writing whatever they want to write without anybody disturbing them.
So, the burning of the former Governor’s house for any reason is condemnable and unacceptable. The former governor has not anything to constitute a threat to anybody since he left office, to warrant anybody or group of persons burning his house.
He has the right as an illustrious son of Imo state to vie for any position he desires to run for.
Anybody who feels threatened by his interest should have the option of quitting the race or dropping his aspiration.
The government calls on the Commissioner of Police in the state and other relevant security agents in the state to dig into the ugly incident with the aim of bringing those behind the Wicked and ungodly act to book.
The government also warns that it will not fold its hand and watch those who do not love the state and her people, to import political violence into the state. The government will deal decisively with anybody or group of persons trying to blackmail the state and her people |by engaging in indecent actions that are foreign to the people of the state, and in the name of politics”.
Meanwhile a PDP Governorship aspirant Barrister Humphrey Anumudu has condoled with former Governor Ikedi Ohakim over the fire out brake in his Owerri residence describing it as very unfortunate.
Anumudu who reacted over the Telephone appealed to the respective security agencies in the state to braze to the challenge of unraveling the immediate and remote circumstances of the sudden fire out-brake.
“I was really shocked when I got the news of the fire out-brake of the residence of my friend Chief Ikedi Ohakim at the early hours of today Thursday May 15, 2015”.
“And it is very amazing from what I gathered on the incident which suggests a fowl play or sabotage somewhere. That is why I think that the security agencies should carryout a thorough investigation into the matter” Anumudu said.
He called on Chief Ohakim and family to accept his heartfelt sympathy over the loss and damages occasioned by the incident.
Speaking to Trumpeta on phone Speaker Emeritus of Imo House of Assembly, Goodluck Opiah said it “is a sabotage, it is politically motivated, either to harm or kill him over his rumoured political or guber ambition. No details yet, but that indicate sabotage because the man was around with his family and enemies thought he portends danger Imo politics.
It shows the intolerance of government.
Dangerous for Imo people in general where politics should be eschewed of violence. People should realize that power belongs to God and people should stop playing God”.
