Sen. Nkechi Nwaogu escapes assassination attempt in Abia

The pro-Chancellor and Governing Board Chairman University of Calabar, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu has reportedly escaped assassination by gunmen numbering five who were said to be dressed in army camouflage.

The incident it was gathered happened along the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway while Nwaogu who is running for the Abia Central Senatorial District under the All Progressives Congress (APC) and her team were on their way back to Aba.

Sources close to the former lawmaker said that the security details of the politician repelled the gunmen after several attempts made by the gunmen to break into their from carrying out their evil plans while they were coming back to Aba from Umuahia, the state capital.

According to reports, luck however ran out of the gang as a combined team of personnel of Nigerian Police Force and soldiers attached to Ngwa High School Forward Operation Base; Charlie Coy of 144 Battalion, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State through a tipoff raided a popular hotel located at Kamalu Street off Aba-Owerri Road, near Nwaogu’s residence where the suspects had lodged.

While it was not clear whether any weapon was recovered in the raid, it was gathered that the sister agencies recovered a Mercedes Benz 190 which the suspected gunmen allegedly drove to the said location.

According to some residents, the joint operation took place between 11pm-1am on Monday night.

When contacted, Sen. Nwaogu in a telephone interview confirmed the incident, stressing that the gunmen were arrested after she had alerted the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Anthony Ogbizi when the news got to her that the gang were lodging in a hotel sharing the same fence with her residence.

According to her, the gunmen were arrested by a combined team of security operatives from Aba Area Command and Ngwa High School army FOB.

Sources at the Aba Area Command and 144 Battalion of Nigerian Army who would not want to be mentioned confirmed the arrest suspects by the sister agencies.

It was however gathered that the suspects have been taken to the 14Brigade Headquarters of the Nigerian Army where the said soldiers would be thoroughly profiled in order to ascertain if they were genuine soldiers or not.

Attempts to reach army spokesman of the 14Brigade, Major Oyegoke Gbadamosi until the time of this report failed.