…Destroy INEC, bomb immigration office
…Gulak’s killers will not escape justice — Buhari
By Ayo Fadimu
There were series of violent attacks over the weekend in the Southeast geopolitical zone as unknown gunmen in Imo State shot dead an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Hon. Ahmed Gulak.
Similarly, unknown gunmen has bombed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Ubakala, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State and yet to be apprehended arsonists also burnt down the newly-completed office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) located at Okwudor community in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.
Gulak, who was a Special political Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan and was also the Chairman of the APC committee that conducted the APC primary election that declared the incumbent governor Hope Uzodinma as the winner was shot around Umueze Obiangwu in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area close to the Airport.
His classmate Dr Umar Ado announced his death in a statement on Sunday. Although, the statement did not clearly state what took him to Imo, however, unconfirmed sources revealed that he was invited to Imo by some Northern Groups in the state.
“I just confirmed the sad and gruesome death of my friend and classmate, the former Hon. Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, former Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President and former Special Adviser Political to President Goodluck Jonathan, Barr. Ahmadu Ali Gulak,” the statement partly read.
However, the Police in Imo while confirming the report said Gulak was killed by unidentified gunmen after he left his hotel without security escort to the Sam Mbakwe Airport in Imo State to catch a flight.
The Commissioner of Police in Imo, Abutu Yaro made the disclosure in a statement issued in Owerri on Sunday by the command’s spokesperson, SP Bala Alkana.
The statement read, “On the 30/5/2021, at about 07:20hrs, armed bandits intercepted and attacked a Toyota Camry cab carrying Ahmed Gulak and two others who were on their way to Sam Mbakwe Airport to catch a flight.
“Ahmed Gulak left his room at Protea Hotel without informing the Police nor sister agencies in view of the fragile security situation in the South East and Imo in particular.
“He left without any security escorts while the cab driver took irregular route to the airport, six armed bandits who rode in a Toyota Sienna intercepted, identified and shot at Ahmed Gulak at around Umueze Obiangwu in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area close to the Airport,” he said.
Meanwhile President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed outrage and disgust over what he called “the heinous murder” of Adamawa politician Ahmed Gulak in Owerri by yet to be identified gunmen.
The president reacted on Sunday in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu.
“I am repulsed by such premeditated and gruesome murder of Gulak by evil people who are determined to undermine the peace, unity and territorial integrity of our country.
“Let me warn, however, that nobody or group of people who engages in such despicable act should expect to go free.
“We will deploy all resources at our disposal to ensure that such callous and criminal elements are brought to justice,” the president was quoted as saying.
In a related development, a group, the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, has called on Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma to immediately bring the killer(s) of the ex-aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmad Gulak, to justice.
The youths threatened to declare Governor Uzodinma persona non grata in the entire northern soil.
A statement from its National President, Isah Abubakar, noted, “It’s so pathetic and saddened the continuous killing and lawlessness going on in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. The government of Imo State must give an account of those who killed Gulak. The continuous killing of Northerners and destruction of security facilities in Imo State will no longer be tolerated.”
The group urged the federal government to rise up to its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property and act appropriately so as to avoid the current situation from escalating to a civil war.
It explained that the government should take note that it would not allow the killer(s) of Ahmed Gulak to go unpunished, stressing that the Imo State Governor, who is the chief security officer, must bring those involved in the assassination to justice.
According to the statement, “Let us state categorically that northern youths will do everything within their powers to force the government of Imo State to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice. The Imo State Governor and other South East Governors should take note that we shall not accept the continued killing of Northerners and Northern elites in their region as we shall take revenge henceforth.”
It gave the Governor of Imo two weeks to carry out the investigation or they shall declare him persona non grata across the entire Northern soil.
In another development, sources accused gunmen suspected to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as the main culprit behind the bombing of the NIS headquarters in Imo State.
The NIS headquarters is located few distances away from a Police formation within Ubakala which was previously attacked by these hoodlums and resulted in the death of two Policemen.
It was gathered that they bombed the NIS building and opened fire on personnel of the Service, killing yet to be ascertained number of officers in the process.
It was gathered that vehicles within the compound were also set on fire.
The Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) located at Umuagu, Umuahia was attacked by gunmen earlier on Saturday.
Also on Sunday, some unknown gunmen set ablaze the newly-completed office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) located at Okwudor community in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.
INEC disclosed this in a statement by Festus Okoye, the INEC National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.
According to Okoye, the arson attack took place at about 11:30am.
The office, which was built and commissioned shortly before the 2019 general elections, was substantially burnt.
Although no life was lost, electoral materials, office equipment and furniture were burnt in the incident.
The attack comes less than seven days after the INEC office in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of the State was vandalized.
It is also the eighth INEC office to be attacked in Imo since the 2019 general election.
In the meantime, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has denied involvement in the murder of the late APC Chieftan, Barr. Gulak.
IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, described Gulak’s death as a “professional assassination.”
He insisted that members of the group were not responsible for Gulak’s death.
IPOB, had been accused by the Nigerian intelligence community as being responsible for the gruesome murder of Gulak but Powerful described the claims by the Nigeria Intelligence community as unprofessional.
He, however, charged the state Governor, Hope Uzodinma, to disclose how Gulak died.
According to Powerful: “The Nigeria intelligence community has shown how unprofessional they are, today is not sit-at-home.
“People are going to church and this was why he shifted the date to tomorrow. This is political assassination; we are not in the same party with Gulak.
“Uzodinma and APC knows about Gulak’s death, we do not know anything about his movement, talk more of him being in the state. Nigerians believe this because they hate IPOB, Biafra.”