Use Offot Village flays police harassment BY CHARLES SOLOMON

The village head of Use Offot, Eteidung Sylvester E. Inyang has called on his subjects to remain calm and law-abiding. Eteidung Inyang stated this when he addressed the youths of the village who gathered at his palace to express their displeasure at the manner some men of the Nigerian Police disrupted the planned commencement of this year’s edition of the Use Offot inter-family soccer competition on Sunday.

The Village Head who was visibly angry expressed shock and dismay at the way the Police invaded the pitch and shot tear gas into the field “I was about performing the kick off, I had been invited to have a handshake with the players and officials who had already lined up to participate in the opening match between the Nnung Abitid and Nnung Amum family when I saw the police vehicle driving dangerously into the arena, I saw the spectators , players and their officials running in every direction.

Before I could know what was happening, a canister of tear gas fell very close to where I was sitting, we were tear-gassed; the Honorable Councilor representing ward 7 in Uyo Legislative Assembly was there with me, the village head of Ekpri Nsukara Offot was there with me, other dignitaries were there with me when the incident happened. At my age and status I was tear-gassed by police men. They disrupted all our plans, they harassed our people and invited guests without any provocation whatsoever” he said.

The Chairman of the Use Offot village council Mr. Francis Edet Etim described the police action as highly embarrassing while assuring the people that adequate steps would be taken to ensure that the community is not unduely harassed and embarrassed by the police.

An eye witness, Mr. Etebong Etim said that he had come to the St. Phillips Primary School grounds with his wife and two year old child to watch the match and the cultural display when the police shot tear gas into the crowd. “As a result of the tear gas, my two year old son has been hospitalized. The thing is a big problem for me personally” he lamented.

Efforts to speak with the police proved abortive but a source who pleaded anonymity said that the police were attacked by miscreants who had gathered at the back of the school compound to smoke Indian hemp. “The police were pelted with stones and empty bottles of beer and they had to use tear gas to disperse them but that is not an ample justification to disrupt a gathering of well over two thousand people” he noted.

Meanwhile the opening match of the 9th edition of Use Offot Inter-family Football Competition has be rescheduled for Sunday, 10th November, 2013 and is going to be between Nnung Abitit family and Nnung Amum family teams. The football competition takes place every two years and involves the six families making up Use Offot village. At the 2011 edition, Nnung Amum family emerged champions. The competition will take place at St. Philips Catholic Primary School Use Offot.