10th June, 2014
Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has narrated how he escaped from Kano to Abuja on Sunday night when his life and those of his colleagues were in danger at the Kano airport.
He said he drove himself all the way from Kano and arrived in Abuja after five hours at 2 a.m.
Amaechi and other All Progressives Congress, APC, leaders had visited Kano in Northern Nigeria to pay condolence visit to the Kano State government over the death of Ado Bayero, the former Emir, when they were disallowed from leaving the airport.
The governor told online news portal, Premium Times, that after visiting Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and got to the airport to fly to Abuja, all the doors and gates at the airport were locked and they were held hostage and the plane impounded. He said he and his colleagues had to find a way to escape from the airport.
According to him, “the Kano governor called the airport commandantand told him that we should at least be allowed to leave the building but the commandant refused, saying he had an order from above not to let us out. We had to force one of the doors open to get away.”
He said after they escaped from the airport, the team devised a means of hurrying out of Kano for fear they might be attacked by thugs sponsored by the Federal Government.
“So we quickly got a car, bought fuel and started driving towards Abuja. We sold a dummy to the airport people and a few others that we were returning to the Kano Government House. The governor was also expecting us. But we were far gone. I personally drove the car and all of us had to switch off our phones so no one would know our whereabouts.
“I drove for five hours and we arrived Abuja at 2 a.m. We were not afraid of armed robbers or anyone attacking us on the road. We were only afraid that the authorities could plant people on the road to waylay and attack us. But thank God we arrived safely.
Premium Times also reported that in the car Amaechi drove from Kano to Abuja were a former governor of Gombe State, now Senator Danjuma Goje, a former governor of Kwara State, now Senator Shaaba Lafiagi, and a former Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Abubakar Baraje.
“I have been shouting that we are in a dictatorship, people thought I’m joking or exaggerating,” Amaechi said. “At least we can all see what is playing out.”