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Tag: A’Ibom

  • Police arrest 15 persons for allegedly killing village head, youth in A’Ibom

    Police arrest 15 persons for allegedly killing village head, youth in A’Ibom

    By Samuel Ogenyi, Uyo

    …..declares councillor, 14 others wanted

    The police have arrested 15 persons for allegedly killing, Chief Henry Esimeme, the village head of Nsie community and one Sunday Walter Ukoh in Okobo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State

    It has also declared Supervisory Counsellor and 14 others wanted in connection with the incident, according to a statement from the State Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), CSP Frederick N-Nudam yesterday in Uyo.

    John, a supervisory counsellor in Okobo Local Government Area is said to have teamed up with a youth leader, Usong Morrison John to mastermind the crime.

    Nnudam said the Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal ordered the arrest of the suspects for allegedly taking laws into their hands by avenging the death of a former youth president of the village, Aniefiok Mkpo-Abasi.

    He said Aniefiok Mkpo-Abasi allegedly died after drinking some local gins mixed with herbal concoction in the house of Sunday Walter Ukoh, thereby sparking the suspicion and anger that he was deliberately killed.

    “The Police Command received a disturbing report of mayhem in Nsie village occasioned by an incident in which the former youth president of Nsie village, one Aniefiok Mkpo-Abasi a.k.a King of Boys was alleged to have died on 12th July, 2020 on suspicion of drinking some local gins mixed with herbal concoction in the house of one Sunday Walter Ukoh of the same address.

    “Following the incident, some disgruntled youths and elders of Nsie village under the aegis of the youth president, one Usong Morrison John and Nkereuwem John the Supervisory Councilor for Finance, Okobo Local Government Area arose from a meeting held at the village square and allegedly attacked and killed the village head of Nsie, one Chief Henry Esimeme and Sunday Walter Ukoh.

    “The Commissioner of Police Immediately deployed patrol teams to the village and restored normalcy while fifteen (15) of the suspects fingered in the incident were arrested in two separate operations on 15th and 19th July, 2020.

    “However, the Commissioner of Police wondered why the people did not take advantage of the community policing platform already in the area to resolve all differences, but rather resorted to jungle justice and at the end committed murder.” The statement said.

    He disclosed that special units of the police command have been mandated to fish out other culprits currently on the run.

    “To ensure sustainable peace, order, and apprehension of other suspects , the Tactical Teams and the State Intelligence Bureau Personnel have been deployed to the affected area while a high-powered investigation panel under the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of the State CID has been constituted and mandated to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.” It said.

  • Two killed , one kidnapped in A’Ibom rival  cult clash.

    Two killed , one kidnapped in A’Ibom rival  cult clash.

    By Some Ogenyi, Uyo
    Two persons we’re yesterday killed while another one has been kidnapped in a renewed cult clash between Debam and Iceland confraternities in Inen Ikot Eteye and Ikot Inyang villages , Inen community in Oruk Anam local government area of Akwa Ibom state.
    It was gathered that the attack which occurred at 7pm on Sunday claimed one Ubong Ibanga who operates drinking joint opposite the village primary school in the area.
    An eye witness Mr Nse Udo said the second victim who lived near the community market square popularly known as Urua idung Okuwa was hacked by the same squad that killed the drinking joint operator and escaped with the corpse.
    Nse who  did not disclosed the name of the second victim explained that they died on the spot after several gunshots that pierced their skull and belly as they were left on the pool of their blood.
    He said the same gang escaped to the neighboring village in Ikot Inyang where one welder was kidnapped.
    Another eyewitness who pleaded anonymity said there was panic in the community after a series of sporadic gunshots that made residents to fleet to from their homes for safety.
    “As I  speak with you now , I ran away from my house since yesterday to hide in another village. When we heard the shootings , we knew that the boys  are here again.
    “Before we knew it two young men were down. I packed few things like a pregnant woman carrying her emergency bag with my family and ran away to this place now
    ” I don’t know when I would return home. Our village is not safe for everybody. The cultists always attack rival group members but now they operate house to house every night stealing ,killing and kidnapped.
    ” The one they kidnapped in another village is a welder who was doing well in his trade but later became broke and returned home . We don’t know why they kidnapped him.” He narrated.
    He said since the killing of the chief security officer of the road construction company in the area the community  last month, residents of the area have been living in fear.
    He said the police took away one of the corpses last night while the corpse of the other was not found.
     In a telephone interview, the Police Public Relations Officer ,Akwa Ibom Police Command , CSP Nnudam Frederick said the matter has not been reported by the DPO of Oruk Anam local government area where the incident occurred.
    “As a matter of fact I had a meeting with all the  Divisional Police Officers ( DPO) from  the 31 council areas of Akwa Ibom State this morning but the DPO of Oruk Anam never briefed me on the incident.
    ” Thank you very much for the information I would call the DPO now for details.” Fredrick said .
  • Danger looms for A’Ibom riverine communities as NDDC abandons shoreline protection project

    Danger looms for A’Ibom riverine communities as NDDC abandons shoreline protection project

    By Some Ogenyi, Uyo

    The lives and properties of some Riverine communities in Akwa Ibom are no longer guaranteed as the multi Billion Naira shoreline protection project meant to forestall ocean encroachment in the Niger Delta have been abandoned.

    The project awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC in 2012 has brought continued to cause untold hardship to the communities who have expressed concerns over a threat of wipeout.

    Speaking with newsmen in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State yesterday, the Village Head of Iwuochang, one of the communities affected , Chief Daniel Afia said the project has been abandoned for eight years now.

    Afia said the community has made several entreaties to both the contractor; Smith Engineering who had since abandoned his equipment at the site and the NDDC, but without any positive result.

    The village head who alleged that no NDDC project has so far been completed in the area, cited several abandoned roads, including the road linking Ibeno with Eastern Obolo as some of the commission’s abandoned projects in the coastal area.

    Also speaking, the Vice Youth President of Iwuochang Community, Mr Sam Willie said the inability of the contractor to complete the project has pushed many landlords around the coastal line out of their homes.

    “You know they had to remove the old and worn-out embankment to replace the new one. But after removing it, they abandoned the project, leaving the community bare and at risk.

    “It is always very threatening when the high tide comes, there is nothing to hold it. All the houses around here were occupied by their landlords but they have all been sacked because the encroachment is usually fast, hugh and unexpected”. Willie said.

    He said he had on several occasions, on behalf of the community taken letters to the NDDC office in Port Harcourt and its Uyo office at Ewet Housing Estate, but without response.

    The Chief Security Officer of the area, Mr Ebrewong Eshiet who also spoke with newsmen blame failures of NDDC projects in the region to poor supervision and contract award on political grounds.

    He lamented that the community youths employed by Smith Engineering during the project were still being owed salaries, in addition to exposing the community to a possible wipeout due to the failed embankment/dredging project

  • Youths in A’Ibom threaten protest over abandoned highway project

    Youths in A’Ibom threaten protest over abandoned highway project

    By Iniabasi Billie, Uyo

    Akwa Ibom youths across five local government areas in the state are threatening to protest the abandonment of the 55.1 kilometre Super Highway project meant for the Ibom Deep Seaport and Industrial City.

    The Super Highway initiated by the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel has three spurs and spans across Ibeno, Eket, Esit Eket, Mbo and Urue Offong Oruko local government areas.

    Mr Kingsley Udoh, the Chairman of Ibeno Monitoring Team told our correspondent on Tuesday during a visit to the Ibeno axis of the superhighway site that the youths are tired of the unfulfilled promises of the State Government with regards to the project.

    He said many of the youths who worked at the site of the project were currently owed monies for the work carried out on the road, while compensation on the land used for the Superhighway was yet to be paid to the owners.

    He stated that the affected communities have vowed to barricade the road in protest until the State Government resumes work on the project which started in 2017 but was abandoned in 2018.

    Udoh who revealed that the project was awarded by the State Government to Ebla Construction Ltd under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, said unfortunately, the vendor later abandoned the site after spending about N700 million on the project without the state government contributing its counterpart fund.

    “If government does not complete this project, we would protest. When the Superhighway project was awarded to our area, we were happy; right now we are not happy. Ibeno people are not happy especially the youths. We are very, very angry. We are feeling bad.

    “Presently, the Superhighway is abandoned, and we are sad. Take the message to the Governor, we are not happy anymore.

    “When we come out from the community to this junction and we turn our eyes to see that the job is abandoned, we feel sad,” he said.

    Reacting to the alleged abandonment of the project, Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ephraim Inyangeyen blamed the Federal Government for the delay in the construction of the 12 lane Ibom Super Highway.

    He mentioned that the Federal Government has not approved the construction of Ibom Deep Seaport for the state, noting that the road was initiated for the Seaport operations and the proposed Ibom Industrial city.

    He stated that the State Government decided to slow down on the project after 15 out of the 55.1 kilometres of the road had been executed, when it observed the reluctance of the Federal Government to give approval for the construction of the Ibom Deep Seaport.

    He said, “The Ibom Super Highway project did not stop in 2018. The funding of the project stopped in 2019. It was when we observed the reluctance of the federal government to give us the necessary approval for Ibom Deep Seaport, we decided to slow down.

    “The State Government believed it was more critical for us to persuade the Federal government and get approval for the construction of the Deep Seaport first. This is because if we don’t build the Deep Seaport, the 55.1 kilometer Super Highway is not economically viable to sustain.

    “But it is only when the seaport approval is in our hand that we can be sure of doing the road. So our concentration now is on how to get all the approvals promised by the Federal government. If the deep seaport is not there, we don’t need the road.

    “The reason for initiating the 12-lane Super Highway is primarily for us to create access to the Deep Seaport, and the Ibom Industrial city and avert congestion. It is not meant for general purpose. So the story that the Super Highway has been abandoned is not correct.

    “And we have not changed the Elba Construction Company that is handling the road. I have told the contractor to be patient, that the moment we get approval for the Deep Seaport, he will return to site. In fact Government is even owing him,” he stated.