Governor’s aide, driver shot dead in Delta State

Unknown gunmen on Friday night shot dead a special adviser to  Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and his driver, at Ekpan, Uvwie local government area of the state. Killed was Ngozi Ijei who,according to sources, was shot around Niger Cat area, off NPA expressway in Ekpan. The killing of Ijei who is widely regarded as a key player in the political unrest in the area over the last  decade, has sparked  fear and tension in the area.

Sources told The Nation that Ijei was shot dead around Niger Cat area off NPA expressway in Ekpan by yet unidentified assailant, who left him in the pool of his blood afterwards. “Gunmen who probably trailed him to the scene opened fire on a silver color Toyota Camry with registration number Delta EFR 965 SN. He and his driver died on the spot. We heard that huge sum of money was removed from the car, but nobody knows for certain,” a source told our reporter.

His supporters,The Nation gathered, have sworn to launch reprisals on those they suspect of having engineered the killing. Ngozi was standing trial for some crimes when he was  released from prison and appointed SA on Community and Youth Affairs to the Governor. His murder is the  latest in a bloody chapter which has seen a spike in insecurity in Ekpan and Jakpa Road areas of Uvwie LGA.

No fewer than  six persons were killed in the area in the last couple of weeks in the latest upsurge of violence before the botched February 16 general elections. Uvwie is usually a hotbed of crisis since 2003, because of the usual contending political forces and interests of key players in the Urhobo community. The current Delta South Senatorial candidate of the PDP and incumbent House of Representative member in Uvwie/Sapele/Okpe Federal Constituency, Ms Evelyn Oboro, hails from the area.

Oboro is locked in a supremacy tussle with the deposed chairman of the council, Mr. Henry Baro, who is the APC flag-bearer aiming to succeed Oboro in the green chamber of the National Assembly. Governor  Okowa yesterday condemned in strong terms the killing of Ijei. Governor Okowa in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Aniagwu said he was deeply saddened by the development.

“On behalf of the government and people of Delta State, I mourn the death of Mr. Lawrence Ngozi Ijei, who was my aide until his untimely demise. I condole with his wife and family and urge security agencies to investigate the unfortunate incidence with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice,” the  governor said. “We have alerted the security agencies of some disturbing security situation in parts of the state and wonder what they are doing because this information has been available to them. We urge Deltans to remain peaceful and maintain the existing peace we have built in the last three and half years,” he added.