A birthday celebration is often a time for reflection and joy. But for Martin Amaewhule, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, his recent 52nd birthday thanksgiving service was not just a marker of age—it was a profound declaration of survival.
Speaking at the All Saints Anglican Church, Eliozu, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the Speaker shared chilling details of assassination plots and a horrific kidnapping ordeal that underscored the steep and often perilous cost of public service in the region.
Acknowledging the Recent Threats
For political figures, threats are unfortunately a reality, but Amaewhule’s testimony revealed a deeply personal and immediate danger. He noted that the past year, in particular, had been marked by deliberate attempts on his life.
“I am not just marking another birthday but acknowledging that many people had planned to take his life in the last year, but God didn’t allow them,” Amaewhule stated, emphasizing that his presence at the altar was purely due to divine protection and preservation.
The implication is clear: the forces attempting to end his political career, and his life, are ever-present. Yet, the Speaker’s resilience is rooted in an earlier, even more harrowing experience.
The Five Days of Horror: The 2008 Ordeal
The core of Amaewhule’s thanksgiving centered on a terrifying incident that occurred 16 years ago, painting a vivid picture of vulnerability even in the most secure settings.
In 2008, following a Sunday service, Amaewhule was abducted by unidentified gunmen—men, he believes, who had been sitting among the congregation during the very church service he attended.
Recounting the chilling sequence of events, he described being tactically followed home, where the assailants overpowered and tied up his security guard before abducting him.
“After service, they tactically followed me to my residence, tied up my security guard and abducted me and took me to a forest where they held me hostage for five days,” he revealed.
The ordeal was brutal. Far from being a simple detention, the kidnapping involved physical and psychological torture. Amaewhule detailed how his captors inflicted severe pain and injury while moving him between hideouts in the forest:
“They placed thorns under my feet and inflicted several injuries on my head and body in the process of moving me from one hideout to another within the forest,” he said.
Held captive for nearly a week, his diet consisted only of biscuits, and the cumulative injuries led him to the brink of death. “I almost bled to death,” the Speaker recounted soberly.
Gratitude as the Highest Form of Worship
Emerging from such darkness—not once, but multiple times—has understandably solidified the Speaker’s faith. His thanksgiving service was less about personal achievement and more about acknowledging the unseen hand that guided him through these violent storms.
The testimony serves as a powerful reminder of the sacrifices and risks many political leaders face while serving their communities, particularly in regions prone to insecurity and political volatility.
Amaewhule concluded his remarks with a simple, profound message that transcended politics: the necessity of gratitude.
“When God does things for you, it is important to appreciate him for more,” he stated.
For the Speaker, turning 52 is not merely a milestone—it is a miracle. His story of surviving assassination plots and a gruesome forest ordeal stands as a powerful testament to resilience, reminding his constituents and the nation that some blessings are not gifts of fortune, but gifts of preservation.
