A married man simply identified as Chris escaped death by the whisker after an assailant who accused him of having an affair with his ex-wife attacked him in the Mile 3 area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The assailant, simply identified as Olowo, in the company of suspected accomplices, was said to have stabbed Chris several times until he passed out on Wednesday.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Chris who came to the area for a funeral service was trailed and ambushed by Olowo and ‘his boys’ at about 12:30pm along National Street in the Diobu area.
Eyewitnesses said the victim would have died, but for the intervention of vigilante members who rescued him with blood stains all over.
One of the eyewitnesses said, “It is like Olowo’s former wife is going out with the man. So Olowo heard that the man (Chris) came to Mile 3.
“He now came with his boys. They beat him and stabbed him in his head and body. He was bleeding profusely when the vigilante people came.”
The Chief Security Officer of Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Mile 3, Diobu, in Port Harcourt, Godstime Ihunwo, who confirmed the attack, called for the immediate arrest of Olowo and his cohorts.
Ihunwo gave the identity of the assailant as Simiyu Ganiyu, popularly called Olowo, saying Chris was in a critical condition and was rushed to the hospital.
While condemning the attack, he described it as an attempted murder and called for the immediate arrest of the assailant and his boys.
He stated, “My men rescued one Mr. Chris who was stabbed to coma at National Street in Mile 3 Diobu by one Samiyu Ganiyu, aka Olowo, and his boys who accused the victim of having an affair with his ex-wife.
“My men rushed the victim to the hospital where he is in a critical condition
“I condemn the attempted murder by Olowo and his boys in my community, and I use this medium to call on the law enforcement agencies to immediately arrest Olowo and prosecute him and his boys, as he is not above the law.”
Meanwhile, Olowo’s ex-wife, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told newsmen that she and Olowo had been divorced three years ago, saying she and the victim were just friends without any romantic affair.
Our reporter who visited the hospital where the victim was admitted was not allowed access to the victim by the medical personnel on duty.
One of the nurses said, “Sir, the victim is in a very critical condition at the emergency ward. You cannot see him because no visitor is allowed to go in.”
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, proved abortive, as she was not answering her calls as of the time of filing this report, Thursday afternoon.
