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.”
Punch Nigeria
