Falae escapes death as Bullion van escort opens fire on his car

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, on Tuesday escaped death after one of the policemen escorting a bullion van opened fire on his vehicle while travelling to Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Punch learnt that the incident happened at Ile-Oluji Junction. Falae was travelling   to Ile-Ife for Afenifere leaders’ visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

Sources at Ife palace told our correspondent that the former Minister of Finance, who is the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, briefed some persons at Ile-Ife about the incident before the meeting with the Ooni.

Falae was quoted to have said, 

“I was coming from Akure, approaching Ilesa. I saw some vehicles ahead of me. There was a bullion van in front, the vehicles ahead of us were overtaking the bullion van and we followed too.

“We just barely passed them when I heard a shot and I heard a bang on the car. We stopped and we discovered that they had shot at our car.

“They didn’t stop. We stopped at Erin-Ijesa and complained to the police at the checkpoint that one of the policemen escorting   a bullion van fired at us at Ile-Oluji Juction.”

 If you  recall, last year, he was kidnapped by Funali herdsmen and released after paying a heavey ransom.Efforts to speak directly to Falae were unsuccessful as calls put to his telephone did not connect.