The lawmaker representing Edo Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Clifford Ordia, has narrated how he escaped attack twice by bandits.
Ordia, who is the Senate Committee Chairman on Local and Foreign Debts, narrated his ordeal to reporters on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said he was travelling along the Okenne-Lokoja and Lokoja-Abaji roads on Monday when the daredevil bandits opened fire on his convoy while returning to Abuja from his hometown in Edo State.
The lawmaker noted that during the exchange of fire between the criminals and the security operatives attached to him, three policemen sustained gun wounds.
He explained that one of the wounded policemen was in a critical condition but responding to treatment in one of the hospitals in Abuja.
“I am seriously traumatised by the experience,” said Ordia who noted that his personal vehicle was riddled with bullets, although he was lucky to have escaped unhurt.
“We were coming from Edo State, somewhere between Okenne and Lokoja, when we met these suspected bandits. They opened fire on my convoy. The gallant policemen had to immediately return fire.
“The other security vehicle behind had to immediately join them and they were able to repel the suspected bandits,” he narrated.
The senator added, “I had to immediately put a call across the Federal Medical Centre in Abuja to be on standby. One of the policemen had a bullet lodged close to his liver. We met another setback around Abaji.
“There was traffic because of the incident and because we had to save the lives of the wounded policemen, we decided to make a move. They opened fire on us. Some vigilantes had to join the policemen and they (the bandits) were chased into the bush. That was how I survived that attack.
“If you see all my vehicles, you will see how the bullets damaged them. But I am glad that we all survived. I must salute the gallantry of our policemen. If given the right equipment, they can do a lot and protect Nigerians.”
The lawmaker called on the Federal Government to immediately initiate moves to restructure the security architecture of the country, warning that no one was safe anymore.
He stressed that something urgent must be done to restore order to every part of the country and protect the lives of every Nigerian.
