Akpabio attacks Ibibio

The leadership and  members of a socio political organization in the state, Ntippe Ibibio organization comprising of the citizens of Ikono and Ini local Government Areas say, they are angry that the Government had to send armed policemen to disrupt and stop the inauguration of the Association last Saturday at Ikono describing the development as very sad and a call for war.

Speaking to journalists in Uyo after the disruption of the event, community leaders Obong Bassey Inuaeyen, Senator Aloysious Etok, Dr Clement Bassey and the chairman of Contact and mobilization of the event described the action as callous and an attempt to provoke them into taking the laws into their hands. The seasoned politicians in their separate speeches acknowledged that they have fulfilled all the things expected of them to have in order to host the event at the Ikono Council hall but were however surprised that the council Chairman of Ikono after graciously approving the venue for them called them two days to the event to tell them that the venue will not be free for useage that day. They maintained that when they got that information, they had to change and picked an alternative venue, a School for the event. They lamented why the powers from above should send police and armed men to the venue to seal it off, break a camera belonging to one of those that came to cover the event and then disgraced the sanctity of the event of Ntippe Ibibio. The quartet maintained that whoever did that made a costly mistake and will have to pay very dearly for it.

On the youths who were eagerly waiting to explode, they maintained that they had called the youths, appealed and urged them to calm down as they are going to ensure that all works well. The quartet maintained however that the development had irked them and their people of Ikono/Ini federal constituency who had to travel from far and near in order to attend the event and that the puncturing of the event by the powers from above was a clear invitation to war.

On how they got to know that the powers from above might have sent the police, Obong Inuaeyen said, upon his interrogation with the police, the police officer informed him while Senator Aloysious Etok said he was told categorically by one of the superior Police Officers that the orders to seal off the place came from Akwa Ibom Government House. Etok while responding to a question from THE INK reporter said, when he was told that the orders came from government House, he had to send a call to the state Governor Godswill Akpabio to inquire from him why the government should give such directive but that the Governor’s number was not going through. Etok said he at that point decided to call the state SSG Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel to seek explanations on why the government had to send policemen to barricade the place and that Udom’s response was that he (Udom) is ill and not feeling fine. Etok said he had to further called the Commissioner of Police Umar Gwadabe to inquire from him why his men had to seal up and frustrate the Ntippe Ibiobio event only for them to be informed by the CP that he is on leave in Kano state.

Etok said together all of them had to appeal to the angry youths not to take laws into their hands but to all retire home as they will get to the roots of the matter. The quartet however wondered why the Government should remember to disrupt their programmes when the same Government has not remembered Ikono and Ini local Government Areas in its much talked about uncommon transformation.

The quartet emphasized that the decision to inaugurate Ntippe Ibibio was not to make Ikono and Ini secede from Ikot Ekpene senatorial district but rather to allow the area posses the strength of argument and present bloc votes ahead of the 2015 general elections. They maintained that the initiative was to bring all sons and daughters of the area together so that they can take a position in the development of the area both politically, culturally and in all aspects of life. They described those linking the two Local Government areas to secession as little minds that may be having brain waves. They said, “How can that be possible, when we have not gotten a senator from 1960 and now that we have a senator one is talking about secession.”
On the distancing themselves from the event as was done by the paramount rulers of Ikono and Ini local Government Areas, the quartet described their actions as unfortunate and wondered why traditional rulers will go that far to be used against their kingdom.

When contacted to speak on the involvement of the Government and why Government House had to send police and armed men to stop the inauguration of Ntippe Ibibio at Ikono, Government spokesman and commissioner for Information Aniekan Umanah in his opinion was quick to draw the attention of this reporter to a release signed by the two paramount rulers of the Local Government Areas which was published in one of the state based tabloids last week.

The information commissioner sounding quite tensed up said the state Government has no hand in the disruption of the event and must have been that the council Chairman of Ikono sensed danger and wanted to prevent it. Umanah said the best man to answer the question as to why armed men and Police invaded Ikono to disrupt the event is the Council Chairman of Ikono Local Government Area and not the state Government.