Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao—Unidentified gunmen riding on a motorbike ambushed and injured Vice Mayor Akmad M. Ampatuan of this town—a state witness in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre case that saw 58 persons killed—on Tuesday, police said.
Technical Sgt. Omar Dirangaren, Shariff Aguak police desk officer, said Ampatuan, the father of Shariff Aguak Mayor Marop Ampatuan, was on board a red Toyota Innova (LFT-737) heading home from the town hall when the suspects opened fire around 1 p.m. along the national highway in Barangay Poblacion.
Ampatuan and his escort were hurt and were rushed to the Maguindanao provincial hospital, and later transferred to an undisclosed hospital in nearby Sultan Kudarat.
“Investigation is still going on,” Dirangaren said.
The motive and identities of the attackers remained unknown as of posting time, police said.
According to ABS-CBN News, this was the second attempt on Akmad Ampatuan’s life.
In a Facebook post, Hadji Oping Ampatuan, Akmad’s family counsel, said the vice mayor was hit in the same right arm that was injured when he was ambushed the first time.
This time, two of Akmad’s men died, but Hadji Oping said “by the grace of Allah (swt), I am reliably informed by his beloved wife that he survived the ambush again.”
The vice mayor is a cousin of the late Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr., who was among the prime suspects of the Maguindanao massacre that saw 32 journalist slain among the 58 persons ambused a decade ago.
However, Akmad switched sides and suppored the Ampatuan’s rival, current Maguindanao 2nd district Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, in the recent elections, ABS-CBN added.
Ampatuan Sr. died in prison in 2015, four years before his sons Unsay and Zaldy were sentenced along with other family members and their cohorts to lifetime imprisonment for their role in the country’s worst political killing.
“They obviously want (Akmad) dead because he is one of the main witnesses in the second wave of the Ampatuan Massacre case,” Hadji Oping said.
“There are still about 50 personalities who were allegedly involved in the massacre but escaped indictment for various reasons, such as lack of witnesses, power, influence and money. May the assailants and the mastermind of this dastardly act be unmasked and be brought to the bars of justice,” he added on Facebook.
Meanwhile, a police chief and his driver were killed during an ambush by armed men past 6 p.m. Monday im Pagayawan town, Lanao del Sur, an official said.
Lanao del Sur police director, Col. Madzgani Mukaram, identified the police officer as Executive Master Sgt. Amen Lucman Macalangan, the police chief of Binidayan town, while the driver was identified as Ramel Pangcatan.
Mukaram said their two companions on the vehicle—police non-uniformed personnel Asliah Adiong and Police Patrolman Nasser Arafat—were unhurt.
Mukaram said the victims were returning to Binidayan from a weekly oversight meeting at the provincial police headquarters in Marawi City when they were waylaid.
