By 
Nkasi Kolie
The Senator representing Edo Central in the upper legislative chamber, Clifford Ordia, was on Monday attacked by suspected bandits along Okenne-Lokoja and Lokoja-Abaji roads.
Ordia, who heads Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, told newsmen that he escaped death by the whiskers when the daredevil suspected bandits opened fire on his convoy in two separate locations while returning to Abuja from his hometown in Edo State.
He said during the exchange of fire between the criminals and security officers attached to him, three policemen sustained gun injuries. He said one of the policemen was in critical condition, but responding to treatment in an Abuja hospital.
The lawmaker said his personal vehicle was riddled with bullets, though he was lucky to have escaped unhurt. He said the experience had left him “seriously traumatised.”
“We were coming from Edo State, somewhere between Okenne and Lokoja, when we met these suspected bandits. They opened fire on my convoy. The gallant policemen had to immediately return fire. The other security vehicle behind had to immediately join them and they were able to repel the suspected bandits. During the exchange, three of the policemen sustained gun wounds. One of them was critically injured. We had to immediately rush them to Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja, Kogi State.
“They did their best and were able to stabilise them. I had to immediately put a call across to the Federal Medical Centre in Abuja to be on standby. One of the policemen had a bullet lodged close to his liver. We met another setback around Abaji. There was traffic because of the incident and because we had to save the lives of the wounded policemen, we decided to make a move. They opened fire on us. Some vigilantes had to join the policemen and they were chased into the bush.
“That was how I survived that attack. If you see all my vehicles, you’ll see how the bullets damaged them. But I am glad that we all survived. I must salute the gallantry of our policemen. If given the right equipment, they can do a lot and protect Nigerians.”
Ordia called on the Federal Government to immediately initiate moves to restructure the security architecture of the country, warning that no one is safe anymore. He said something urgent must be done to restore order to every part of the country and protect the lives of every Nigerian.
In another development suspected gunmen have reportedly assassinated an hotelier, Kehinde Ibidunni and his wife, Elizabeth, in Atan-Ota, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The man,63 and his wife, 54, were said to have been shot dead by the gunmen who broke into their residence at Atan-Ota in the early hours of Tuesday.
It was gathered that when the assailants stormed the victims’ residence at No 15 Tella Ojo Crescent, Atan-Ota, around 3am they forced their way into the house through a burglary proof, and the noise caught the attention of a little girl who was residing with the late couple.
The little girl, it was further gathered, had immediately rushed to inform the hotelier of the development in his room, but when the man showed up to inquire about the “strange visitors,” he was reportedly shot on the chest and died on the spot.
The hoodlums later got hold of the wife, beat her before she was finally shot dead.
A son of the deceased simply identified as Olayinka told SECURITY REPORTERS.com that the incident was a case of ‘assassination’. He said his parents were murdered barely a month after the duo attended his wedding in Abuja.
“They (couple) stayed alone in the house. They have a little girl staying with them in the house for support. At about 3a.m on April 27, the girl heard some people trying to gain access into the house through the burglary proof. She immediately stood up, went to my dad’s room, and called him that some people were trying to gain entrance.
“When my dad showed up to ask about the people, they shot him in the chest straight up. So, he died instantly. After they killed him, they gained access into the house. They went into the room, they met my mum, they beat her, they stabbed her and finally they shot her. They killed the two of them and after that, they scattered the whole house, they took the little money they could lay their hands on and they left,” Olayinka narrated.
“From what we know and what the police are saying, it is a case of assassination. We cannot tell what type of robbery that led to killing of husband and wife. I think it is an assassination case”, he added.
He further stated that the police had taken the corpses to the morgue.
“The police were around all through, they were even the ones who took the corpses to the morgue. They told us that they have not laid their hands on any concrete evidence, but they are still trying to interview some people. We were even at the station as at yesterday (Tuesday),” Olayinka added.
While describing his parents as “peaceful and loving,” he hinted that the family has concluded arrangement to bury the couple on Friday.
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