A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has spoken out for the first time since the recent attack targeted at him, saying the blood of Anambra people should not be shed on the altar of guber elelction campaign.
He also made a passionate appeal for the release of State Commissioner for Public Utilities, Emeka Ezenwanne, who was abducted during the attack that left 3 of his police details dead.
The attack further raised suspicion of a politically-orchestrated incident as it came after Soludo who is campaigning on the ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), declared interest in contesting the November 6 governorship poll in Anambra state.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme, Soludo said he’d be shocked the attack was aimed at him.
“We were having an interactive session and we finished the mass about 4pm and the scheduled interactive meeting with the Isuofia youths. By the way, Isuofia happened to be my hometown. I’m a village boy and this is where I feel safest anywhere in the world. I walk the street, I jog in my community, I take long walk, I am everywhere as a village boy.
“With this interactive session, there were over a thousand youths seated and I was just making preliminary remarks to open up the interactive session with other dignitaries from the communities, commissioners and members of the house of assembly. And just as I was about to wrap up and I said, ‘Finally!’ for them to open up for comments and answers, gunshots! At first, I thought may be the policemen were shooting in the air with the kind of exuberance in the hall until I began to hear people screaming and we all scampered for safety.
“It took more than 10, 15 minutes of continuous gun battle. By the time we all came back, we saw three bodies there lying in the pool of their blood – they were the three policemen. May God grant their souls eternal rest. We will continue to pray and support their families.”
“I was totally unhurt, not in anyway hurt,” Soludo said.
When asked whether the attack was linked with his ambition to become Anambra governor, the ex-CBN governor said, “I am friend with everybody contesting the office. I don’t think the office is worth the blood of even a chicken let alone a human being. I will be shocked that it was politically motivated and that it was aimed directly at me.”
He said investigation by security agencies will unravel the perpetrators of the heinous act while expressing worry over the kidnap of the state Commissioner for Public Utilities, Emeka Ezenwanne, during the attack on Wednesday.
Soludo appealed to the kidnappers to release Ezenwanne in the spirit of Easter celebrations.
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