Burst tyre and speed have been blamed for the shocking and sudden death of Nigeria’s Minister of State for Labour, James Ocholi, SAN, who died today, Sunday, March 6, 2016, alongside his wife and son, in a car crash. The sad incident occurred on Klm. 57, along Kaduna/Abuja highway.
Said one eye witness: ‘The SUV was speeding when one of the tyres burst and it started somersaulting, leading to the death of the Minister, his wife and his son…’
Born on November 26, 1960, the late Ocholi attended Ochaja Secondary School, in his state, and the University of Jos, where he read Law. Exiting the Nigerian Law School in 1986, he joined the ranks of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, in 2007, after putting in over 20 years into the legal profession.
A proud Kogite, he was the CPC governorship candidate in 2011. He attempted again in 2015 to become the governor of Kogi State, but this time on the ticket of APC, and lost to the late Prince Abubakar Audu. Said to be President Muhammed Buhari’s ardent follower, he was made the Minister of State for Labour in 2015. Dr. Chris Ngige, an ex-Senator and one-time Governor of Anambra State, was his immediate boss in the Ministry.
Before that – and between 2013 and 2014 – he was the Deputy National Legal Adviser to All Progressives Congress.
His remains are currently in the morgue at National Hospital, Abuja. He allegedly died on the spot. Same with the son. However, the wife didn’t – and was rushed to the hospital where she never came out of coma. Nigeria and Nigerians have been mourning ever since – and lamenting over the ‘Triple Tragedy’.