.By Solomon Enejoh, Abuja.
Strong indications have started to emerge as to the major reason why some heavily armed assassins invaded the country home of Chief Gideon Ojata when he recently visited his country home on Christmas eve in Ejule, Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Chief Ojata, a successful businessman based in Abuja, the Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, would have been a dead man by now had the armed bandits succeeded in unleashing what many have describe as a well calculated assassination plot that took place at his house shortly after he had stepped out of the house.
According to the Security Guard of his house in Ejule, Shehu Galadima, the armed men stormed Chief Ojata’s house shortly after he had departed for a visit to some of his old friends and relatives who he learnt were at home for yuletide celebration.
He said: “Not long after that Chief came back from Abuja and immediately hurried out, that some heavily armed men invaded the house carrying so many sophisticated weapons like guns, machetes, axes and other scary weapons.
“Immediately they landed, they announced their arrival with some very loud sounds of sporadic gun shots. But because I knew that Chief was billed to be home for the festive season, I was at the backyard of the house doing some tiding up. But my son was in front of the house. As soon as I heard the sounds of their indiscriminate shootings, I looked for the best way of escape and found one in the nearby bush. That was where I found refuge for some time until the assailants eventually ended their invasion and left.”
Galadima also stated that against his ultimate prayer that God should let the assassins spare his son, they murdered him in cold blood. “By the time I returned from my hiding place and made my way to the frontage, I beheld the most horrible scenario I have ever seen in my life; I saw my son’s lifeless body whom they had beheaded. I have been in severe pains since that ungodly incident happened to me. I don’t know the crime that my boss committed that evil people are after him, but I know that God will surely deliver him from their hands,” he stated.
However, findings have shown that Chief Ojata whose business innovativeness over the years has resulted in his ever-increasing business empire which has outlived many of his competitors who started out about the same period with him, has unknowingly made some unknown enemies for himself. This, findings have revealed has attracted stiff opposition and envy from very close unknown friends and associates who are in similar lines of business and would stop at nothing to ensure that he is brought down to zero level.
Our checks have also revealed that Chief Ojata operates a security outfit which many have described as one of the best in the country. And because of the unparalleled professionalism with which the security outfit discharges its responsibilities, it has become the favorite of so many major industries, religious and non religious organizations for their security related services.
In fact, a source, a security expert who accepted talking to our correspondent on grounds of anonymity said that he got a high level security information that the leadership of the Headsmen in Benue State couldn’t have been far from being the masterminds behind the invasion of Chief Ojata’s house. According the the source, the herdsmen are of the opinion that Chief Ojata’s security outfit has severally prevented them from executing a couple of their planned attacks on some churches and other organizations in the neighboring Benue State and its environs. It also stated that the security outfit has also been believed by the herdsmen to be shielding the churches in Benue and other states from becoming victims of most of their planned onslaughts since they last attacked a Catholic Church in that state that led to the death of two Reverend Fathers and scores of parishioners.
That, according to the source, was one of the major reasons they (herdsmen) were on the trail of the Chief in order to carry out their assassination plot on him; so they could avenge all the foiled attacks they believe would have been possible if not for the intervention of his security outfit’s intelligence.
It said: “Chief Ojata should be very careful with the way he moves around in this country. Some of these Fulani Headsmen believe that his security company is one of the major players in the security sector in this country which has not given them the breathing space to operate as they would have loved to. I know how deadly these people are; they don’t easily give up on any of their heinous assignments. I don’t know how he is going to go about it, but he should be aware that his life is not safe.”
Chief Ojata, according to his aide, Dickson Ameh, has since reported the case to the Police who have promised to put in everything humanly possible to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book and in good time too.
