How God Saved Me From Assassination Attempt, Abia Governor Otti Opens Up

• Abia Governor Alex Otti described a July 2015 attack on his Abuja residence in which armed men killed two police officers searching for him
• Otti said he had left the house the previous night after receiving what he believed was a divine prompting to depart Abuja
• The governor spoke at a government-organised solemn assembly in Umuahia, also revealing that friends urged him to seek protection from native doctors before entering politics

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.

Umuahia, Abia State - Abia State Governor Alex Otti has opened up about an armed attack on his Abuja residence in July 2015, saying gunmen killed two police officers on the property while hunting for him on a night he had already left after what he called a divine leading.

As reported by NAN, Otti spoke on Thursday night, September 24, at the Abia Solemn Assembly and Covenant Renewal Service held in Umuahia, an event organised by the state government under the theme "Remembering the Covenant."

The governor told attendees that a friend recently reminded him of the incident, which took place while he was contesting the outcome of the 2015 Abia governorship election at a tribunal. The electoral victory had been awarded to the Peoples Democratic Party's Okezie Ikpeazu.

How Otti narrowly escaped attack

Otti explained that he had been in Abuja trying to meet someone who repeatedly postponed their appointment until the meeting never happened. He decided to leave the following day despite pushback from friends, telling them he needed to be at the tribunal by Friday.

He said, according to Vanguard:

"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."

That night, armed men stormed his Maitama residence, shot dead two police officers, and searched the building for him. After failing to locate him inside, the attackers, who Otti said numbered up to 12, crossed into the adjoining compound and searched there as well.

"When they finished and couldn't find me, they were convinced I was there. They had so much time. They jumped into the next compound and stripped the whole building," Otti said.

He reflected that there had been no practical reason driving his decision to leave when he did. "There was no reason for me not to be there, but God had taken me away from there," he added.

Friends advised Otti to seek native doctor protection

Otti also told the gathering that friends who could not talk him out of going into politics urged him to seek protection through secret societies or traditional means before proceeding.

He said:

"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, and you will be shocked at the kind of people that are making these suggestions, and some of them are leaders in churches."

The governor said his response was grounded in Joshua 24:15, quoting the biblical passage in which Joshua told the Israelites to choose whom they would serve, before declaring that his household would serve the Lord.

Otti said the experience had reinforced the direction of his administration and that he intended to continue governing on the same foundation of faith and service.

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Abia: Otti breaks silence on attack

Legit.ng earlier reported that Governor Otti’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Ukoha Njoku, dismissed claims that the former’s convoy was attacked by gunmen.

Njoku clarified that while an incident occurred, the convoy was not involved and no lives were lost.