Posted by Akanimo Sampson, Bureau Chief, PortHarcourt on
Tuesday, November 11 was supposed to be like any other day for Barrister Ojinnaka Ihuoma: do a good day's job and get home to take a well- deserved rest. The first was easy. He had put in a good day's job and was on his way home for the second.
Tuesday, November 11 was supposed to be like any other day for Barrister Ojinnaka Ihuoma: do a good day's job and get home to take a well- deserved rest. The first was easy. He had put in a good day's job and was on his way home for the second.
But it was not to be.
Ihuoma, Deputy General Manager, Intels, a leading maritime logistics company, was shot dead at the gate of his residence, which is behind the offices of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Rumuibekwe, Port Harcourt.
For his colleagues, his death is still a shock, which they are still finding hard to come to terms with. Especially painful about Ihuoma's death is the fact that his wife has just given birth to a set of twins in faraway England.
"He had just arrived from London where he had gone to see his wife who delivered a set of twins last weekend. He could not return to the country with his family because the state of the twins was said to be fragile", a source informed The Nation.
That Tuesday, Cece, Ihuoma'S wife had a premonition that all was not well with her husband especially when he was not picking up her calls. "The children were also behaving unusually funny, according to the wife. Her husband's colleagues who were worried about what to tell her had to lie that her husband had lost his phone. ‘'I can't believe that my husband can not afford to buy another phone, even if he lost the one he is using'', Ihuoma's widow reportedly said.
But as at Wednesday when she could not still establish contact with her husband, the company management had to tell another lie- that her husband had been kidnapped. Apparently unable to bear the shock, she reportedly collapsed, and was rushed to hospital for medical attention.
In the mean time, worried company officials are suspecting either the expatriate workers who were alleged not to be comfortable with the late GM or the community of petition writers within the company. "Only God knows who did this, he was such a pleasant, easy-going man", a colleague said.
As at 9.25 a.m on Thursday, the Joint Task Force (JTF) said they have no information on the assassination of Ihuoma. Spokesman of the special security outfit, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, told our correspondent on telephone: ‘'I heard of it, but we don't have any detailed information about it''.
Similarly, the Nigeria Police, Rivers State command, on Thursday night claimed that they have nothing yet on the assassination. Spokesperson for the police, Mrs. Rita Inoma-Abbey, said, ‘'we have nothing yet on it. Nothing has come in yet''.
At about 1.00 pm, the company organised a round of prayers for the late GM and his family. Arrangements are also being made to bring back the wife and children from London. They have been formally informed of the assassination of their breadwinner.