Enugu-South East governors have rejected the police report which claimed that the Tuesday assassination attempt on the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu was a burglary case.
The governors have rather asked the police to do a thorough investigation and bring the culprits to book.
According to the governors, who spoke in a press conference through the Director General of the South East Governors Forum, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, the Police were hasty in their preliminary report, “otherwise, the so called burglars would not have insisted on the Deputy Senate President’s son taking them to his father’s bedroom.”
In condemning the failed assassination attempt, the governors noted that the incident had cast shadows on the state of security of lives and property in Nigeria.
They stated that their interjection on the matter was because “apart from Ekweremadu being a worthy son of Igbo land, the deputy senate president has distinguished himself as a true Nigerian and a global citizen, having held the position of Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament for more than four years.”
Ekweremadu vows to release video footages of attack
During the plenary yesterday, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, vowed to release video footages of how his house was invaded by alleged assassins on Tuesday if the Police failed to withdraw their claim that what happened in his house was a mere case of burglary.
While speaking, Ekweremadu said that a Commissioner of Police for the FCT and Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations visited his house on Tuesday afternoon to sympathise with him.
“I took them round and they were very sympathetic of what happened,” he said.
“I was so shocked when I woke up this morning to hear the Police saying that what happened in my house was a mere case of burglary. I am at a loss because as we speak, they have not taken any statement from my son who was hospitialised, they have not gone to the hospital to find out what exactly happened to my son. They have not invited security personnel attached to me who reported yesterday; some are still reporting this morning.
“They looked at the CCTV tapes operated by the DSS and a staff of my house; apparently, they were not able to figure it out, so it was easy for them to quickly dismiss what really happened.”
Expressing surprise about the incident, Ekweremadu said he is in possession of the full video clip and some pictures.
Senators condemn act, attitude of the Police
Also yesterday, the Senate asked the Police under the leadership of the Inspector- General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, to as a matter of urgency, carry out a thorough investigation into the alleged assassination attempt on the Deputy Senate President’s life.
This was sequel to a motion by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South who faulted the preliminary report of the police on the incident.
Reps to probe assassination attempt, Police’s late response
In a related development, the House of Representatives at Wednesday plenary resolved to set up an Adhoc Committee to investigate the attack on the Deputy President of the Senate and members of his family on Tuesday.
The House also said it would unravel the circumstance regarding the late response by the Nigerian Police to the attack.
The resolution followed a motion titled “Armed Attack on the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and members of his family”, moved by Representative Toby Okechukwu from Enugu State.
