Governor Sullivan Chime escaped an assassination attempt as armed men numbering about 50 tried to storm into the Government house in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
The men who were armed with machetes and guns arrived at the Government House, Independence Layout at about 430am and some of their members disguised as ordinary civilians approached the gate manned by Nigerian Security Civil Defence Corps members and identified themselves as Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) members who were protesting against the killing of Igbo in the Northern part of the country.
The NSCDC man who opened the gate to address them was macheted, signaling that this was no ordinary protest. Gunshots were fired by the assailants and a military patrol vehicle was also shot at.
The Chief Security Officer of the Enugu State Governor, DSp Fidelis Ogarabe is said to have sprung into action, and a combined team of policemen, NSCDC officers and soldiers engaged the attackers in a gun battle and the governor’s security detail quickly over powered the assailants who began to retreat.
Several machetes and other weapons assortment were recovered with cult insignia on them. One of the attackers was killed whilst three were apprehended.
Sources say the three apprehended men are indigenes of Aguleri community of Anambra state.