Man survives assassins’ bullets

Bolaji Ogundele, Port Harcourt - 06.01.2008

It was by the whiskers that a middle-aged man, Chief Godwins Chindah, escaped the assassins’ bullets when they visited him at his residence on New Year’s eve.

Chindah, an indigene of Rukpokwu village in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, disclosed to Sunday Tribune on Saturday in Port Harcourt that the gunmen struck at about 2:00 am on that fateful day, few minutes after he returned from the New year church service and was relaxing in his sitting room.

According to him, the assailants knocked at his door and when he responded, they started raining bullets into the house, which made him to scream for help, saying that he later remained silent which made them to believe that he was dead.

Chief Chindah said, initially, he thought the gunmen were on a robbery mission but the statements they made while leaving his house made him to believe that they were hired to snuff life out of him.

“When they started raining bullets into the house, I shouted and later remained silent and when they didn’t hear any voice again, they thought I was dead and said ‘bastard, now that you are dead come and drag land with the chief’”.

He recalled that he had a land dispute with a particular chief in the area, saying that the matter is before the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who is expected to act on the matter this week.

“Probably, they must have heard about the case before the Inspector General of Police and wanted to kill me before the IGP acts”, he cried out.

Meanwhile, Chief Chindah is receiving treatment from outside the state due to serious injuries he sustained during the attack. Residents of Rukpokwu, who spoke to Sunday Tribune, condemned the attack, noting that Chief Chindah was a peaceful man and wondered who would want him dead.