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Abia State Governor Alex Otti has recounted how he narrowly escaped what he described as an assassination attempt in Abuja in July 2015, saying that about 12 armed men stormed his residence after he had unexpectedly travelled out of the Federal Capital Territory, killing two policemen who were guarding the property.
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Otti said his decision to leave Abuja came despite objections from friends, who had urged him to remain in the city after a scheduled meeting was repeatedly postponed.
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The governor attributed his escape to divine intervention, saying there was no apparent reason for him to leave Abuja at that particular time, but that he believed God had taken him away before the attackers arrived and began searching for him.
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Otti said the experience strengthened his resolve to pursue politics through his Christian faith, despite advice from some associates that he should seek protection from traditional or other spiritual sources before entering politics.
September 25, (THEWILL) – Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has recounted how he narrowly escaped an alleged assassination attempt in Abuja in 2015, saying about 12 armed men stormed his residence and killed two policemen who were guarding the property while searching for him.
Otti gave the account on Thursday night at the Abia Solemn Assembly and Covenant Renewal Service held in Umuahia by the state government.
The service, themed “Remembering the Covenant”, was attended by Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu, senior government officials, clerics and other stakeholders.
The governor devoted part of his address to recounting some of the defining experiences in his political journey, particularly the incident in July 2015, which he said could have ended his life.
According to him, a friend recently reminded him of the circumstances surrounding his political journey and the attack on his Abuja residence.
Otti said he was in Abuja at the time trying to arrange a meeting with an unnamed individual, but the proposed meeting was repeatedly postponed until it became clear that it would not hold.
He subsequently informed some of his friends that he would leave Abuja the following day and return to Owerri.
The governor said his friends opposed the decision, but he insisted on travelling because he wanted to be present at the election tribunal on Friday, where he was challenging the outcome of the 2015 governorship election.
“There was only one flight from Abuja to Owerri then. All my friends objected. I said, well, I have received a message that I must leave Abuja. So, to make it make sense, I told them I wanted to be at the tribunal on Friday, so they grudgingly accepted”, he recalled.
Otti said that night, gunmen attacked his residence in the Maitama area of Abuja, killed two policemen and began searching for him.
“That night, assassins attacked my residence in Abuja, shot two policemen dead, and they were looking for me. Of course, God had taken me away”, he narrated.
According to the governor, the attackers apparently believed that he was still somewhere within the premises after failing to find him. He said the gunmen then moved into an adjoining compound in an attempt to locate him.
“When they finished and couldn’t find me. They were convinced I was there. They had so much time. By the way, this was Maitama. They jumped into the next compound, and I learnt that they were up to 12. They jumped into the next compound and stripped the whole building”, he added.
Otti said his departure from Abuja appeared inexplicable at the time because there was no obvious reason why he needed to leave the city that particular day.
Looking back, however, he said he considered his decision to travel an act of divine intervention.
“They thought I jumped first, but I left. There was no reason for me not to be there, but God had taken me away from there”, he said.
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Political Challenge
The incident occurred during a particularly difficult period in Otti’s political career.
He had contested the 2015 Abia State governorship election and subsequently challenged the result at the election tribunal after the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Okezie Ikpeazu, was declared winner.
Otti’s political journey eventually led to another governorship contest eight years later, when he emerged victorious in the 2023 election on the platform of the Labour Party.
Reflecting on the challenges he faced before entering politics, Otti said several friends had tried to persuade him not to venture into politics.
He said some eventually advised him to seek protection through traditional or other spiritual means when they realised that he was determined to proceed.
“A lot of friends, after trying to dissuade me, found I couldn’t be dissuaded. They said, okay, if you decided to do this thing, you can’t go in there empty-handed. You can’t go there without belonging to some societies. You can’t go there without going to some native doctors for protection”, he said.
Otti said he was surprised that some of those making such suggestions were leaders in churches.
The governor said his response was to remain committed to his faith and his decision to serve God. He cited Joshua 24:15, in which Joshua challenged the Israelites to make a conscious decision about whom they would serve.
“But then, I’m always reminded of Joshua 24:15, where Joshua said to the Israelites that ‘If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you would serve’. But then he ended that ‘as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord’”, Otti said, adding that the biblical passage had remained significant to his understanding of his political journey and personal convictions.
According to him, every individual must make a conscious decision about whom to serve, adding that those who had not yet made such a decision could still do so.
“So, if you don’t understand why you are here, this is why you are here. And, if you have not taken that decision, it’s not too late, because there is no other power,” he said.
Otti said the experience had reinforced his conviction about the path he had chosen, adding that his administration would continue to operate within the principles of faith and service.
Abia’s ‘Covenant’ With God
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Uzor Nwachukwu, said the covenant-renewal service was an opportunity for the state to reflect on its journey under the Otti administration and rededicate itself to God.
Nwachukwu recalled that following Otti’s victory in the 2023 governorship election, the governor and his team observed seven days of fasting and prayers to rededicate Abia to God.
He said three years into the administration, the government had returned to give thanks for what it described as God’s blessings and to commit the next phase of the state’s political and developmental journey to Him.
“Through seasons of challenges and triumphs, His faithfulness has remained our anchor in challenging times. He held us, broke the chains of stagnation and moved us to where He has promised,” Nwachukwu said.
He added that human effort alone could not sustain the prosperity and progress the state desired.
“The scripture reminds us that unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchmen watch in vain. As we stand on the threshold of a new dispensation, this service is a sacred altar of rededication,” he said.
In his homily, the Lead Pastor of Transforming Church International, Dr Sam Oye, commended Otti and his team for what he described as significant achievements during the administration’s first three years.
Oye cited road infrastructure, healthcare, education, fiscal responsibility and land reforms among areas where the administration had recorded progress.
He, however, stressed that the achievements should not become a reason for complacency, saying much more remained to be done to fully realise Abia’s potential.
Drawing from Joshua 13:1, Oye said that although Joshua had accomplished much, he was reminded that there remained more territory to be possessed.
“The word of the Lord to us on this Covenant Renewal Day is simple: More land to possess. More work to be done. More people to be reached. More systems to be reformed. And more potential in Abia to be released,” he said.
Oye urged the administration to ensure that its development vision survived changes in political personalities, parties and election cycles.
“Our vision must survive personalities, political parties and election seasons. The vision must redefine the productive future of each of the 17 Local Government Areas,” he said.
He also charged the governor to develop industrial and agro-processing corridors across the state while strengthening public institutions.
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