DELTA SPEAKER SURVIVES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

The Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly,  Hon. Victor Ochei, Saturday escaped death by the whiskers, at Obomkpa,  in Aniocha North Local Government Area of the state as he emerged unhurt from what appeared to be an assassination attempt, when  an Improvised Explosive Device (I.E.D.) exploded and critically injured a female aide to one of his  associates.
Ochei, who was on a  familiarisation and thank-you tour of his aniocha north constituency, had barely finished exchanging pleasantries with political faithful at the eke market square venue, when the device went off with a loud explosion and its attendant smoke threw the crowd into pandemonium.

A source at the scene  said Ochei had not even taken his seat immediately on arrival as he was busy exchanging greetings when the canon which was ignited and propelled from the rear on trajectory to the Speaker’s seat on the front row went off , shattering the set of chairs which  provided some cushioning effect.
It was also gathered that the device was wrapped in white satin materials, which made early detection impossible, as the chairs and tables were also decorated in white materials.

The victim, whose left ankle was fragmented as a result of the explosion, was said to have been immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, by the Speaker’s pilot vehicle but subsequently transferred to the Delta State University Teaching Hospital Oghara for further medical attention.
A suspect, who is  an indigene of neighbouring Ugboba town and  believed to be a blood relation to the female politician, is said to be helping the security operatives in unraveling the mystery behind  the explosion.

Source: Thisday