Niger Delta militants in Akwa
Ibom State, some days ago abducted several market women and whisked them to
their hideouts in the creeks.
NDV reports that the women from
different communities in the state and neighbouring Cross River State were
returning from Nwaniba community market in Uruan local government when over 10
masked men ambushed the two speedboats conveying them.

A victim, Mrs. Christiana Sunday John, who spoke through an interpreter, said: “We were badly treated, our womanhood was abused. I joined the second speed boat going back home when midway into our journey; another speed boat from nowhere blocked us.

A victim, Mrs. Christiana Sunday John, who spoke through an interpreter, said: “We were badly treated, our womanhood was abused. I joined the second speed boat going back home when midway into our journey; another speed boat from nowhere blocked us.
”To my greatest surprise, the
boat was conveying over 10 hefty masked men, two of the armed masked men jumped
into our boat and ordered the boat operator to take to one of their camps in
the creeks.
“The two armed men robbed the 25
of us on board the speed boat before we got to their destination.
“At the camp, they forced us to
pull-off, we were forced to pull everything to the pant and they asked at
gunpoint to expose our private parts while they took several shots with their
camera phones.
“Most of the women, who initially
proved stubborn, went home with machete cuts. Two boats loaded with women
returning from Nwaniba Market were attacked.
“After their evil operation, they
removed the boat engines, living us stranded in their camp. They collected
N70,000, which was all I had on me, now I do not know how to start all over
again.”
Chairman, Nwaniba Village
Council, Elder Samuel Jeo, told NDV that “the saddest thing was that mothers
and wives of our men were forced to dance nude while they were being filmed”.
“This is the most embarrassing
criminal operation in Nwaniba. We built that market with community effort, now
militants have closed down the market.
“No customer would want to come
here and risk his or her life. The market was built two years ago, now we
cannot generate revenue because of the effect of militancy and pirates who are
terrorizing the area on a daily basis”.
Elder Jeo said militants and
pirates were operating freely in the area, recalling that on June 27, they
killed many persons and razed about four villages, including Edile Ikpa,
Ufak-Effiong, Akpa-Mfurukim and Akara Obio Uruan.
“Last week, we recovered the decomposed
remains of Enang of Mbiakong village, killed with his machete in his cassava
farm. In Nwaniba, we are living in fear, no government protection,” he
bemoaned.
Also speaking, a prominent
Nwaniba community leader, Chief Emmanuel Ben Akpan, said: Our men can no longer
go for fishing to feed the family while the women cannot go to the market or
farm; we are stranded.”
In his reaction, Chairman, Uruan
local government, Dr. Edwin Okon, decried that his people in the fishing
communities have suffered untold hardship in the hands of militants, who always
cross into Akwa Ibom through the waterways.
“We have lost countless numbers
of people to these militants and we want government and other agencies,
including the National Emergency Manage-ment Agency (NEMA) and the State
Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to come to the aid of the displaced people”,
he said.
Akwa Ibom Police Public Relations
Officer, PPRO, DSP Chukwu Ikechukwu, said: “Failure of the community to file
the matter with the Police in the area was hampering investigation and action
on the problem.”
They should clap to themselves that they rapped their own, the helpless and bring shame to the region. This is terrorism, and can be liken to Bokoharam! Nemesis will soon catch up on them! Shameless fools!
ReplyDeleteThey should clap to themselves that they rapped their own, the helpless and bring shame to the region. This is terrorism, and can be liken to Bokoharam! Nemesis will soon catch up on them! Shameless fools!
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