Sometime around 2004, I got a phone call asking me to come to Dreamland Hotel, New Owerri and collect an Advert. Then, New Owerri was a fallow land, except for a few buildings just springing up.
Therefore, Dream land was the biggest building and Hotel in that area then, and was standing lonely with no buildings around it.
I drove my Mecedez benz 230 Automatic car given to me by my late Dad to collect the Advert. As I went into the Hotel premises and headed to the Bush Bar, my phone rang and suddenly four heavily armed men sprang up and surrounded me.
The question was; Are you Henry Ekpe? Which I replied in the affirmative. I was then bundled into a waiting Black coloured 504 Peugeot car.
But because I came with my vehicle, my “captors” ordered me to move into my own vehicle and drive to wherever they would direct me to. One sat beside me with his gun pointed at my waist. The other sat behind me with his gun touching my neck from behind. While the other two drove in their own vehicle, trailing behind me.
They ordered me to enter into town through Assumpta Cathedral and head towards Okigwe road to Njaba River, where they would snuff life out of me.
In their discussions, they were relaying messages to their Principal, who happens to be a female Local Government Chairman in Okigwe political zone.
When I learnt that I was driving myself to my own burial ground, I decided to take my life with that of the goons. But God intervened, and both me and them survived.
But what led to this incident? The Local Government Chairman said that Announcer Newspaper, which I was the Editor then published that she was arrested by EFCC over frauds in the LGA. But was it a false story? She answered no, and asked; “But why must you publish such a story, even though it was actually true?” This is the lot of a Journalist.
In 2001, the men of State Security Service had stormed Announcer office one afternoon and whisked me away with my Boss Nze Joe Anyama, and later handed us over to the police who locked us up at the Imo Police Headquarter Owerri, for publishing what they termed seditious materials.
We were there for a week until Governor Achike Udenwa intervened, and we were asked to write undertaking that Announcer Newspaper will never publish any story about Biafrain again. This we did before we regained our freedom, days away before we where to be transported to Abuja to face treason charges.
One November 22, 2011, I had gone to cover the Imo Governorship Tribunal case between former Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim and Governor Rochas Okorocha. As I was stepping outside the gate, about ten men accosted me and assaulted me. By the time they finished with me, I found me self in a hospital, with a bleeding nose and a broken rib.
They had left me for dead inside a deep gutter near the Imo High Court premises. The last word I heard before I passed out was “You can now go to write about Owelle in heaven”
But I survived. I am only trying to let my readers know the type of hazards one faces in this profession of Journalism. You are marked dead not because you are not doing your job perfectly well, but simply because you are doing it. It is just like shooting a Doctor for operating on a patient.
It is true that every profession has its own hazards. But that of Journalism is dicey, especially in a hostile environment, where those in charge of public funds want to cover their tracks.
Since 2011, I have been living like Che Guevera and Arafat of Palestine liberation Organization PLO put together. Living here, sleeping there and waking up here. My life has been in constant danger since I floated TRUMPETA Newspaper with friends and colleagues, Sir Kelechi Mejuobi and Chief Gerry Ogu. I have been given various bad names, just like a Dog, in other to hang it. But as a trained Journalist with many years experience on the job, I always adhere to the ethics of the profession, which says you must hear from both sides, not that you must not publish, as some people now crave.
Recently, threats have started pouring in again on my life. It is more worrisome that those who egg on this dastardly and nefarious plans are people who ought to know better about the job of Journalists, because they are also Media Men.
Much as I know that I have been penciled down for elimination by the powers that be, and particularly by those afraid of their shadows because of their deeds, but I never thought I wound even live up to now based on the intelligent reports I have on plots against my person. But I thank God for his mercies that I still live to pen this piece.
But it is quite unfortunately that we fail to learn from history, that power is absolutely temporary.
Political and Financial powers are all transient. It is only the power of God that lasts for eternity. No King ever reigns forever. He is either removed by death, incapacitation or outright removal by other forces.
Therefore, for Leaders who realize this, they wield political power to change the fortune of their subjects for the better, and not to strip them of what they have, because one day the Leader will return to base to be a common man like others.
In other words, it is only those Leaders who deprive themselves of comfort and opulence while in office and serve the people that feel free after office, and are even rewarded bountifully in “retirement”.
When President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania left office, he had no house to retire to and his country built him a be-fitting edifice. Today, the House Nyerere could not build is rather constructed in the hearts of his countrymen where he lives forever.
Therefore it is only Leaders with a stack of skeletons in their cupboards that have sleepless nights. And this nightmare even pursue them after office. Indeed, it is full hardy for a Leader to think that eliminating perceived enemies including Journalists would give he/her peace of mind.
Usman Danfadio said that conscience is an open wound, which all truth heals. Therefore, a Leader can only have a clean conscience if he/she tells himself the truth, and then sleeps well thereafter.
In this case, a Leader does not compel the led to follow him/her; rather the people voluntarily tag along the Leader provided they see that such Leader meant well to all manner and greater number of people. Trying to shut up the Media through whatever means, is a temporary method that does not last. But Goodwill last forever.
In the first place, Media is the fourth Estate of the Realm. It is among the three arms of Government; namely Executive, Judiciary and Legislature.
While the Executive formulate policies for the goodness of the masses, the Legislature makes the laws. As the Judiciary adjudicates, the Press informs the populace of the actions of these three arms of Government.
Therefore, when the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature try to usurp the power of the Press, they are resorting to self help, which is an indication of fear of the unknown, which comes from bad conscience. But when each of the arms are left alone to do their jobs, the society is the better for it.
If not for the Press, nobody would have known that Maina of the Pension Fund fame had been re-engaged in the Federal Civil Service after being a fugitive for long.
Therefore, I want to state here that I do not hate any bodyor malign in the course of this job but rather innocently discharging my duties as a professional, and therefore urges my assailants to approach the Courts for redress whenever I erred in the course of my chosen profession than resort to extra-Jucial method.
Those who plead for political power, to get the masses mandate only to turn round later to haunt the people must realize that in a democratic environment, the best option is the rule of engagement. This is because, those who gave you their power through their mandates are compulsorily bound by law to ask questions once in a while, because you are the custodian of their collective wealth. No leader is God, and therefore subject to make mistakes.
Instructively, a good leader must all times give ears to the yearnings of the masses. However, it does not stop the Leader taking those decisions he/she thinks are for the best interest of the greater number of the masses, either in a short or long term.
However, a Leader must be careful not to betray the trust the people reposed on him/her.
This is because, the moment the masses discover any atom of doubt on their leader, he/she has lost the masses confidence, and no matter how hard he/she tries to regain it, it would be an uphill task.
And when the Leader realizes that he/she has lost the goodwill among the masses, he/she goes usually angry and bares his/her fangs and in the process unleashes draconian policies to get back at the masses; in the process severing every inch of bound that remained between him/her and the led.
But unfortunately, in the end, it is the leaders that suffer the aftermath, because the people will ever remain while such leaders MUST quit the scene at the appointed time.
Therefore, it is my advice to leaders, including those in Imo State now, and those coming later to note that what has a beginning must have an end. And you will never write your own history.
Late legal Titan, Gani Fawehenmi tried all he could do to prosecute all those involved in the Dele Giwa murder. And the brave lawyer pointed accusing fingers at the direction of a former Head of State as the mast-mind of the Bombing of the Journalism icon.
Today that former Army General is on wheel chair, and cannot stand up much more walk.
A former Governor of Enugu State and wielded enormous power during his time a week ago, a Court ordered for his arrest.
Today, all those his lieutenants and “Ebano” Boys have deserted him.
Two days ago, a former Governor of Borno State escaped lynching in the hands of angry youths in Maiduguri. He had to be whisked away through a back door.
A few years ago, this Governor could point towards the sky and thunder strikes. A Governor of Abia State, Senator Theordor Orji hardly steps his foot on Aba today. The other time, former Governor of River State, Rotimi Amaechi was literally ran out of town while on a visit to Portharcourt. Such is the transient nature of political power. Power is a harlot and can leave you unexpectedly. Ask Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
By May 26, 2011, I was the only Senior Government Official in the entire Douglas House Owerri Imo State giving instruction to those in the premises. Everybody had left the cosy compound including the Governor, His Excellency, Chief Ikedi Ohakim. When I finally vacated my office on May 27, on Children’s day, there was no other person left, except the security men. Till date, I can only enter Imo Government House by invitation, and must be screened. And this was a place I could drive in and out with salutes from security personnel. That is life for those who understand that it rotates like a Table Fan.
As regards the latest threats to my life, it is only God who can take it, because it is in His hands. Even if these messagers of death succeed, they should not boast about it, because if God says No, nothing will happen to me, I will still live.
And for the Midget who usually sends threat messages from Government House, life is too short, much less temporary political appointments.
