Former Anambra State Governor and immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has assured the public that he is alive and in good health following an attack on his convoy by gunmen along the Nkpor–Nnobi Road in Idemili North Local Government Area.
Ngige, who served twice as minister under the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, dismissed claims that the incident was an assassination attempt. He explained that although his driver and vehicle are well known in the community, preliminary information suggests the gunmen were acting as part of the broader insecurity affecting the region.
Sources revealed that the attackers, dressed in army and police uniforms, had earlier operated in another town about an hour before the encounter. The attack occurred when Ngige’s driver was returning from a mechanic workshop and inadvertently ran into the armed group.
“It is not an assassination plot; it is an insecurity situation. I am alive, well, and kicking,” Ngige told Saturday Vanguard.
Further investigations showed that the gunmen had earlier attacked a police patrol van at Ezi-Owelle, set it ablaze, and escaped with a service rifle. They reportedly encountered Ngige’s vehicle shortly afterward, targeting security personnel and weapons.
During the attack, Ngige’s corps commander, an Inspector of Police attached to the Anambra State Police Command, sustained gunshot injuries to the leg. He underwent surgery on Thursday and is receiving medical care.
