Mr. Emeka Paul Ofume, a haulage driver employed by Ugwu and Sons, narrowly missed murder at the hands of assailants who ambushed his delivery truck yesterday.
One of the haulage companies used by The Guardian for the distribution of the company’s daily newspapers is Ugwu and Sons.
Ofume was reportedly on his way to Enugu from Asaba on Monday at around 2:00 a.m. to distribute copies of The Guardian Newspaper to Awka, Nnewi, Enugu, and Abakaliki when he was stopped by gunmen in Dunukofia, Anambra State, who opened fire on his delivery van many times.
He was hit severally on his head by pellets of bullets fired by the gunmen while attempting to escape from the scene, and was later rescued by a team of police officers on patrol duty, who conveyed him to a private hospital, where he is currently being treated.
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Owner of the Haulage Company, Mr. Vincent Ugwu, who confirmed the attack to The Guardian yesterday, said the police in Anambra State informed him about the incident.
He said the driver left Asaba enroute Enugu after printing.
“I got a call from the Enugu office of The Guardian this morning (yesterday morning) that the newspapers that left Asaba by 2:00a.m. had not arrived. So, I started calling the driver, but could not reach his phone. I called the Awka office and they reported the same, and I told them to make further inquiries. After a little while, I got a call from the police that he was attacked and they told me where I should come.
“It was the police, who also rescued the newspapers he was conveying and took the same to their office in Awka.
“The incident has put fear in my drivers on that route and they are threatening to stop going there,” he said.
The development affected supplies meant for Enugu and Abakaliki yesterday as they arrived through public transport by 5:00p.m. and were not distributed.
When contacted, Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Toochukwu Ikenga, said: “There is no such report before me yet. I will make an inquiry and get back to you, please”. He, however, was yet to call back at press time.
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