Former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Professor Charles Soludo has revealed details of what transpired during the assassination attempt on his life on Wednesday.
Soludo, a 2021 Anambra governorship aspirant was attacked during a political gathering on Wednesday which took place in his hometown of Isuofia in Anambra State, Naija News recalls.
Three policemen who were part of his security team were killed while the Anambra Commissioner for Public Utilities, Emeka Ezenwanne was also kidnapped by the gunmen.
Speaking personally on Thursday about the events that transpired on Wednesday evening, Soludo revealed that he was addressing the youths of Isuofia community and didn’t realize immediately that the place was under attack when he started hearing gunshots.
According to him, he first thought the security operatives were the ones shooting into the air as part of the excitement of the evening only to realize later that the place was under attack.
He explained further that there was continuous gun shooting for about 10 to 15 minutes during the attack and it was only when the shooting stopped that they all realized three policemen had been killed while the commissioner had also been kidnapped.
He condoled with the families of those who lost their lives in the incident and prayed for the quick rescue of the abducted commissioner.
“We were having an interactive town-hall meeting. We finished the diocesan crescent mass at about 2pm, and by 4:00pm, they scheduled an interactive town-hall meeting with the Isuofia youths
“And by the way Isofia happens to be my hometown… I’m a village boy; this is where I feel safest anywhere in the world. I walk the streets, I jog on the streets, I take long walks, I mean I’m everywhere as a village boy as it were.
“With this interactive session with over a thousand youths seated, and I was just making preliminary remarks to open up the interactive session with other dignitaries from the community, commissioners and members of the House of Assembly, former commissioners, former members of the house, and several other dignitaries were in attendance
“And just as I was about to wrap up, and for them now to open up comments, questions and answers, I heard gunshots. At first I thought maybe the policemen were shooting in the air and concurring with the kind of exuberance in the hall itself…
“And until I began to hear people screaming, and all of that, and everyone scampered for safety, but then when it was all over, it took several minutes about 10 to 15 minutes of continuous gun battle, going back and forth…stopping and starting again.
“By the time we all came back, we saw three dead bodies lying in the pool of their blood – they were the three policemen… and like I said earlier, may God grant their soul eternal rest… we’ll continue to pray and support the families.
“And then, the commissioner was abducted. I understand that when they ran and jumped the fence, some people grabbed and took him away… our prayers are with him. We pray for his safe return,” Soludo explained on Thursday during an interview on Channels TV Politics Today.
He added that he was however unhurt, noting that “the DSS, police, army, and civil defense were all in my house… I was totally unhurt in any way.”
The former CBN governor when asked also said he’s not sure if the attack was politically motivated but will await the conclusion of investigations by the police.
He said: “I think there are all kinds of theories as it were, I do not want to prejudge or preempt the investigation that is ongoing because I understand some persons have been apprehended and also providing useful information.”
Meanwhile, the Anambra State Command of the Nigeria Police has announced the arrest of one suspect in connection with Wednesday’s assassination attempt on the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Charles Soludo.
A statement on Thursday by the spokesperson of the Anambra Police Command, Ikenga Tochukwum revealed that a suspect has been arrested.
The statement however didn’t reveal details about the arrested person.