The deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr. Innocent Barikor, has escaped assassination in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

It was however gathered that the gunmen killed his police orderly on the spot.

Barikor was said to have left his office at the GRA on Tuesday night for a meeting in an undisclosed location without knowing that some gunmen were waiting for him outside.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said on sighting Barikor, the gunmen opened fire.

“Barikor escaped by the whiskers but his police orderly was not fortunate because the bullets hit and killed him on the spot,” he said.

The Deputy Publicity Secretary of APC, Darlington Nwauju, confirmed the attack.

Nwauju called for thorough investigations into the incident and asked the Inspector-General of Police to wade into the matter.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSCP Grace Iringe-Koko, said it was not a case of assassination.

She said: “It was not an assassination. Actually a policeman was shot. I think he was the target because they saw him with a rifle. Nothing happened to the candidate. We are investigating the incident and the place has been surrounded.” (The Nation)