Posted by Okey Maduforo, Awka on
Gunmen suspected to be assassins in the early hours of last Monday, attacked Pa Simon Soludo, father of the Central Bank Governor, Professor Charles Soludo at their country home in Isofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Gunmen suspected to be assassins in the early hours of last Monday, attacked Pa Simon Soludo, father of the Central Bank Governor, Professor Charles Soludo at their country home in Isofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
During the attack, the 75-year-old father was brutalised and his eyes damaged irreparably.
The CBN governor's step-mother was also wounded in the attack as her hand was battered.
Following this, there is tension in the community, as it is believed assassins may have masterminded the attack.
Two persons have been arrested in connection with the attack, while security has been beefed up in the community with the establishment of a police post.
According to the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Moses Anegbode who visited the home of Pa Soludo, the police have commenced full investigation into the matter to unearth those behind it.
Elder brother to Charles Soludo, Mr. Emmanuel Soludo, told Sunday Independent that the Commissioner of Police and his deputy had visited the scene with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Aguata local government area.
In the sitting room of Pa Soludo, bloodstains were seen everywhere.
The brief encounter between Sunday Independent and Emmanuel Soludo ran thus:
What is your name sir?
My name is Emmanuel Soludo. I am the eldest of the Soludo siblings. Charles is my younger brother.
How did the attack take place?
On Monday, I was on my way to the church and after I had dropped members of my family at the church, I headed for the child christening of one of my neighbours.
On my way, I got a phone call from my brother in Lagos, who enquired to know if gunmen had attacked our father and if he was injured.
On hearing this, I drove straight to our family house, where I met the state police commissioner and his deputy. When we came into the house we saw all that took place. I was told that my father and his age mates had just finished a get together and had practised a dance for a burial ceremony. After the practice, he was sleeping on one of his chairs when the assailants came.
My father said that he saw two persons who started beating him and asked him to bring the money he had been told to keep. He was beaten black and blue and he fell down on the floor and they left him and broke into his wife's room where they also attacked her. Thereafter, they started ransacking the house in search of money. They were only able to take what they could lay their hands on but I cannot say how much they took. They did not take away any household property.
They came around 1.30 am last Monday. After battering our father, he managed to trek to the CBN Governor's house, which is quite a distance from the family house. There, the security men took him to Ukandu Hospital Ekwulobia and from there to the National Hospital, Abuja."
He said vigilance groups in the area and the executive of the town union were doing their best to fish out those behind the attack.
According to the elder Soludo, the attackers came through an uncompleted building at the back of the family compound.
He said the same gunmen had visited another compound within the neighbourhood and spent several hours before they left.
The elder brother added that the manner and precision with which the gunmen executed their assignment, it was clear that it was internally arranged.
Meanwhile, in a text message sent to the Executive Editor of Independent Newspapers, Mr. Ted Iwere on Saturday, the CBN governor said: 'My 75-year-old dad was attacked by armed robbers (or assassins?)on early hours of Monday at about 1 am in my village and continued beating him on the head until he became unconscious and they probably thought he died.
'We don't know the motives. The eye damaged beyond repairs was removed at the National Hospital, Abuja on Thursday. My Step-mother also had her hand bones shattered and is going for orthopaedic surgery. Is this the price of leadership?"
The CBN governor has just returned from Davos, Switzerland where he attended the World Economic Summit. He was on the delegation of President Olusegun Obasanjo together with the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Obong Victor Attah.
Discerning observers averred that the attack may not be unconnected with the outcome of the consolidation in the banking industry, which Soludo initiated and which has led to the liquidation of not less than 13 banks.