Unidentified gunmen ambushed three officials working with Abia State Governor Alex Otti on Tuesday in Owerri, the capital of Imo State. The attack occurred along the busy corridor leading to the Sam Mbakwe Airport.
The incident unfolded specifically between the Umuowa and Ihite junctions, just a short distance from the airport itself. The assailants, who were described as being “fleeing gunmen,” reportedly opened fire on the vehicle carrying the Governor’s aides.
Njoku Ukoha, Governor Otti’s Chief Press Secretary, confirmed the details of the attack in a statement released on Tuesday. He clarified that the officials were part of an advance team on duty and were not travelling as part of the main governor’s convoy at the time.
“In the early hours of today, December 2nd, an advance team of three members from the Office of the Executive Governor of Abia State, His Excellency Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, on duty to Sam Mbakwe Airport, Imo State, was attacked by unidentified gunmen,” the statement read, according to reporting by Zoyols Blog. It specified that the attack happened “between Umuowa and Ihite junction, shortly before the Sam Mbakwe Airport junction in Imo State.”
Crucially, Ukoha assured the public that Governor Otti was not involved in the incident and confirmed that miraculously, no casualties were recorded among the affected officials.
