By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Mr. Chris Abang who was fingered by suspended University of Calabar (UNICAL) lecturer, Mr. Joseph Odok as being involved in his attack last week Monday at Zanzee bar in Calabar has denied his involvement.
Mr. Abang who served as Press Secretary to former Ogoja council chairperson, Rita Ayim in a telephone conversation with CrossRiverWatch said that his only encounter with Mr. Odok and Mr. Raphael Odu who allegedly orchestrated the attack alongside his lover, Patience Odey in the recent past was when the latter asked him for the former’s contact to provide legal services.
He said that he was fine with the idea of the Police investigating him over the matter as he had nothing to hide and gave his account of happenings in the past two weeks as they related to the matter.
He said that: “That period of Mbube new yam, I travelled home. Me, AG my brother, all of us where in the village. AG left us in the village came to Calabar.
“We travelled on Monday since it was a public holiday or something happened and four of us travelled back to Calabar. Immediately I arrived my house, my phone was off throughout, I now asked my boy to buy fuel for the generator.
“Immediately I (turned) on my phone, Raphael Odu called that he has been trying to reach me. I asked him what is the problem, he asked where I am. I said I dey my house.
“He asked if I can come out I said no I can’t. He said can I come to your house and I said fine. He drove to my area and parked somewhere and said we should go and drink. I told him no I don’t drink. What I do is I always take a malt.”
And, Abang said Mr. Odu informed him that a friend from Yala, one Emmanuel Ogar was given a job in SUBEB by a contractor and the contract had been revoked “whereas he had been given the contract papers and the guy was in Uyo, so he needs somebody that can stand for him.
“He wanted Joseph Odok because he is a lawyer and he is into this social media things. He said he is talking to me because I am the press secretary and I have idea about these things.
“I said well Joseph Odok is my friend oh, even in UNICAL. As I shifted back and called Joseph Odok, his phone was off. I was seeing it from the area of crime that may be he wants to get a lawyer a job (sic); with confidence I gave the number to Raphael Odu and I have never sat down with him before even when I was council press secretary and he was an appointee to chairman, we have never sat down.
“So the next morning, I called Joe Odok, I told him I tried to call him the previous day and his phone was off and I gave his number to somebody and he later said that the people have already called him, they said they have agreed that we should arrange so that we can meet. I asked him where? He said at Effio Ete, I said no wahala.
“So that day was when Govenor came back and they all went to the airport to pick him. So now me and the former Vice Chairman Ogoja, moved to Transcorp to wait for AG since he was going to Uyo for a conference.
“Immediately AG got to Uyo, he snapped a picture with the governor and his colleague and forwarded to me on WhatsApp, now the former Vice Chairman Ogoja left with me and Joseph Odok. Joseph Odok now called those people that they should come. He gave the guy my number to call when he gets there.
“The guy now flashed when he came and I asked him what is your name he said whether Clement Ojong or so. He said his boss said he should see Joseph Odok for the matter there are having with SUBEB. I said this is him. There were now discussing.
“The only thing I told the guy was that Joseph odok was my lecturer in UNICAL and he is lawyer. Before I could finish Joseph Odok now told me he has already called a lawyer that will handle the matter. I said OK.
“The lawyer he called was also my lecturer in UNICAL and now Joseph odok ask me to tell the lawyer to carry him along if something comes up, he said no wahala.
“After all, the guy now left and said he wants to go and bring money to start the process and publication and the legal thing they will discuss later. We stayed there for over 2 hours. Joseph Odok was calling them and they said he should wait they want to see their secretary bla bla bla.
“So now I asked Joseph Odok to escort me to carry foods stuffs from Marian that they sent for me. We drove to Marian took the food stuff then drove to my house for the first time and I showed him my wife.
“We went back to Transcorp waited and I didn’t see the guy, so Odok now came and dropped me at MCC, and I entered taxi to my house.
“The next morning I called Raphael Odu and asked him what happened I did not hear from him again, he said they will call. I did not answer him again.
“The next day was when we traveled for Chief of Staff this thing. I didn’t hear from him. It was that Saturday that I saw you at the ranch that Odok called and said one of his students is seducing him. I now said Joseph abeg commot, jokingly. I did not know their location.
“So that is how the matter ended. From the day he came to my house till today (yesterday), I never saw him again. all these things I am saying, if MTN can print all our conversation that day, let them go ahead. I don’t know Patience Odey (the principal suspect) I’ve not seen her before.
“The Raphael Odu is Special Assistant to governor.
“If I was laying something for Joseph, will I have taken him to my house? I was rating him as my former lecturer. So if police wants to come and investigate me, fine.”
Odok had on September 10 took to his Facebook wall and accused Mr. Abang of been an accomplice in his attack.
He wrote: “This is Kris Abang the key actor in my assassination plot. He is the brother to the Attorney General of Cross River State. Justice begins when he is invited by police for questioning. He is my ex student who gave my number to Patience Odey and Raphael Odu.”
Odok’s post further fuelled speculations that the state government may have planned his attack since Mr. Abang was the younger brother to the Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for justice, Barrister Joe Abang.
Mr. Odok sustained stabs in his right shoulder and breast with the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Police saying the principal suspect was in custody and denied the initial narrative from Mr. Odok’s sympathizers that it was an attempted assassination.
However recent findings show that Ms Odey was released by the DSS with no reasons given yet while the Police have written them to produce the principal suspect to enable them carry out proper investigations.
Meanwhile, CrossRiverWatch also gathered that there is immense pressure from government officials to intervene in the case of Mr. Raphael Odu, a director in the Department of Homeland Security that is still in Police custody.
Leave feedback about this