Ideato Youths Keep Vigil In Ikenga’s Home Following Assassination Attempt

Youths from Akokwa and across Ideato nation Friday night converged on the country home of the spokesman of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, following the attack on his convoy by hooded gunmen.

The youths started trooping into Ikenga’s home around 8:30pm following the attack, and their numbers continued to swell.

While chanting solidarity songs for Ikenga and Ideato nation, the collective anger was palpable.

About 24 hours earlier, Ikenga had reiterated to Nigerians the threats to his life .

The gunmen came in three Sienna vehicles, two tinted Hilux trucks, an Armoured Personnel vehicle and another vehicle.

They forcibly stopped the convoy with the Armoured Personnel Carrier around the lonely Obiohia stretch of the road, while the team of hooded operatives and thugs rushed at the vehicles in the convoy and ordered all the occupants to disembark.

The convoy had been going to drop off some supporters of Ikenga who had attended his reception and flag-off at Akokwa when they were forced out of the road by the  platoon of gunmen.

They searched all the vehicles for Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere threatening thunder and brimstone, but Ikenga was not in the vehicle.

They made preparations to commandeer Ikenga’s SUV  but decided against that after going back and forth to consult with another occupant in the tinted Hilux truck .

In their frustration, they vandalised, burgled the vehicles and made away with all the valuable and campaign materials in the vehicle.

Presently, there is utter outrage in Ideato land as many stakeholders and kinsmen of Ugochinyere have described the action as provocative .

One of the community leader said; “So after all their efforts to use the judiciary to intimidate and suppress Ikenga failed, following the repeated threatening of Ikenga in recorded phone calls, and the failed plots to frame him for trumped up offence, they can no longer afford to wait for the judiciary to jail Ikenga as they threatened.

“We will not accept that! And if for any reason there is any attack anywhere in this country on Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, or any breach of public peace in Ideato, Uzodinma and his aides should be held fully responsible.”

The community is also accusing the security agencies of complicity, with a private citizen having access to an armoured vehicle, recruiting more than 15 police operatives and about 12 thugs in a joint expedition.

Meanwhile, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere has said he would never be intimidated by the continuous attacks.

He disclosed this to a crowd of supporters at St Peter’s Anglican Church Field, Akokwa who came to welcome him home .

The PDP candidate was first welcomed at the popular Ntueke Junction by thousands of his supporters from where he joined the party faithful in a convoy to St Peter’s Anglican Church Field, Akokwa, Ideato the venue of the reception.

The reception is coming barely two weeks after the Supreme Court had affirmed him as duly nominated candidate for Ideato South and North federal constituency of Imo State .

Speaking at the event on Friday, Ugochinyere dedicated his many court victories to God and the very good people of Ideato nation who had stood by him throughout the legal gymnastics orchestrated to stop him ahead of the 2023 election.