Governor Alex Otti’s spokesman has slapped down claims that the governor’s convoy came under fire on the way to Sam Mbakwe Airport, calling the reports wildly misleading.
Chief Press Secretary Ukoha Njoku said the governor was never in harm’s way. Instead, an advance team of three officials from the Abia Government House was ambushed in the early hours of December 2 by gunmen between Umuowa and Ihitte junction in Imo State. The attack happened just before the Sam Mbakwe Airport Junction as the team headed to prepare for Otti’s arrival.
Njoku said no one was killed and urged the public to ignore online speculation suggesting the governor narrowly escaped assassination.
The incident comes amid rising security worries in parts of the South-East, where travelling convoys, police patrols and private motorists have faced sporadic attacks blamed on armed groups and criminal gangs.
In recent months, several high-profile ambushes on security operatives and government officials have fuelled public anxiety, particularly along rural routes in Imo and neighbouring states.
Against this backdrop, rumours of an attack on a sitting governor spread quickly, prompting Njoku to issue a swift rebuttal.
“The governor’s convoy was not involved, and no lives were lost,” he insisted, emphasising that the assault was limited to the advance team and not the governor himself.
