For Fear of Assassins, ex-Anambra lawmaker goes underground

A former member of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Ike George Okoye has reportedly gone into hiding following claims that a convicted fraudster, Chief Emma Nwude had sent assassins after him.

Okoye had recently petitioned the now out gone Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, claiming that Nwude was using some police officers from Zone 9 Command, Umuahia to harass and intimidate him.

An associate of the former lawmaker told Pointblanknews.com that Okoye has gone underground for fear of assassins.

According to Okoye’s associate, one John Emengini, whom he claimed doubles as Nwude’s hit man, on Monday stormed the former lawmaker’s home in Abagana, Anambra State.

“Emengini came with three suspicious looking men who claimed they were detectives. But for providence, they would have kidnapped Ochiagha (Okoye). And we learnt from an anonymous caller that they would have shot him on the pretext that he was trying to escape,” claimed the associate.

The former lawmaker’s associate told Pointblanknews.com that there was strong reason to believe that the strange visits at a time Nwude was out of Abagana was part of a larger script of an alibi should any harm befall his friend.

“Ever since Pointblanknews.com broke the story on how Owelle (Nwude) has been scheming to become Igwe Abagana, the man has been acting like a wounded lion. We hear he has been boasting that he is friends with the new IG, and that Ike (Okoye) has no where to run to. By God’s grace, he shall not kill Ike,” prayed the associate.

He warned “We would hold Chief Emmanuel Nwude aka Owelle Abagana responsible should any harm befall Ike George-Okoye. Nwude should go an enjoy the what is left of his cursed money and leave my friend alone. Evil has never triumphed over good. We believe there are still me of conscience out there who would turn down his blood money and do the right thing.”

Attempts to get Nwude comment on the allegations didn’t yield fruits as he failed to respond to telephone calls and text messages.

Okoye had recently raised the alarm that Nwude, a convicted international fraudster, was scheming to topple Abagana’s monarch, Obi Patrick Mbamalu.

Pointblanknews.com had exclusively reported that Nwude penultimate Sunday held a parallel new yam festival apparently to defy the monarch who had fixed his festival for the same day.

Nwude and two accomplices had between 1995 and 1999 scammed the head of international finance at Banco Noroeste in Sao Paolo, Brazil, into transferring $242 million in exchange for mouth-watering commissions in Nigeria’s Central Bank.

The scam, the biggest advance-fee fraud in history was to lead to the collapse of Banco Noroeste.

From Nwude’s share of the $242 million, he bought into several blue-chip companies and bank, including Union Bank of Nigeria Plc., where he became the largest singe shareholder.