A prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ukanafun Local Government Area, Mr. Emmanson Udo Akpan, from Ikot Akpa Nkuk, Ukanafun LGA, sent an SOS letter to the Inspector General of Police urging him to intervene in the ongoing spate of killings in the Local Government Area and restore peace and allay the fears of the people in the area. Mr. Emmason said the save our souls letter has become urgent as a result of the apparent inability of the outgoing Commissioner of police in Akwa Ibom state to stem the tide of the killings by his unwillingness to arrest the real perpetrators of the killings and the politically motivated planned general amnesty for cultists in the Local Government Area by the Akwa Ibom state government.
Emmenson, who described himself as a teacher and farmer, said in his letter to the IGP, that The genesis of the killings can easily be traced to PDP politicians in the area, who had over time used the services of the murderous gangs for election purposes. He pointed accusing fingers at an unnamed “notorious political thug and criminal”, who he said is now terrorizing the area openly armed with AK 47 riffles, without let.
“Sir, it is no secret that this man was recruited to work for my party, PDP, by some of our leaders in Ukanafun in the last elections. I don’t know what is the problem between them now but he is now using the guns they bought for him on everybody. This man and his gang are not just killing politicians but innocent civilians who go about their daily business. He sends letters to prominent and average people in Ukanafun demanding payment or they would be killed. He goes by himself to collect the money in broad daylight. Anybody who refuses to pay is killed. Reporting to the police in Ukanafun and the state is useless because they are not interested. We wrote petitions many times to the outgoing CP appealing to him to arrest or at least interrogate past and present Ukanafun leaders of our party, PDP to solve this problem once and for all but he refused for reasons best known to him. We don’t know if it is because some of these leaders were and are in the state cabinet,” Emmanson wrote.
He accused the police of complicity in the killings by turning a blind eye at confronting the killer, who in turn ran and extracted a promise of amnesty by the governor, which only emboldened them to operate more brazenly.
“Sir, instead of these leaders being arrested, we heard that they ran to Governor Udom Emmanuel who offered this criminal lord and his boys secret amnesty so that they do not expose his links with PDP. The Police PRO in Akwa Ibom State confirmed in a well publicised statement that it is the Governor’s amnesty plan that led to the killing of the council secretary, Hon. Ime Atakpa because the honourable opposed the amnesty. Sir, even when the outgoing CP addressed a press conference the next day on the matter, he only exonerated security agencies of any amnesty plan and not the governor. It means that the CP is aware of the Governor’s amnesty plan for this criminal who boasts openly that he is untouchable because he communicates directly with the governor,” he further wrote.
Opposing the idea of an amnesty, Emmanson wrote, “We want peace in Ukanafun but we say no to amnesty because it will reward a criminal who has murdered not less than twenty Ukanafun sons since the beginning of the year including the school vice principal who was killed two days ago for inability to pay N1 million to this criminal for his life.
“Sir, note that the killings have been going on for a long time without the outgoing CP doing anything except the arrest of the former Transition chairman because of the noise generated over Hon. Atakpa’s killing and the last minute arrest of a few small time criminals to save himself from the rumoured transfer.”
He called on the IGP to send the type of a no nonsense cop like the one that cracked the Evans gang in Lagos state to help save the people from these killers.
“Please sir, come to our rescue before we all perish. Please send the kind of squad you used to arrest the kidnapping kingpin, Evans in Lagos. Please send this squad to Ukanafun to carry out thorough unbiased investigation and interrogate anybody no matter how highly placed. This criminal must be arrested for peace to reign in our land,” he concluded
© National News Track
