Family of drowned woman seeks recovery of corpse

Ini Billie, Uyo

The family of a woman who drowned in floodwater along Abak Road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State after heavy rainfall is seeking the recovery of the corpse.

A petty trader, Madam Ekaette Wilson Okpon of Nnung Udo Uweme family in Iboko Offort Village, Uyo, fell into the drainage on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, but three weeks after, her corpse had yet to be found.

The deceased had mistakenly stepped into an open gutter during a heavy rainfall but efforts by onlookers to rescue her failed as the flood swept her away.

The family who urged the state government to cover up the drainages opened during sanitation exercise, and a major carnage opened up during the search for Okpon’s corpse, had blocked the Nkemba axis of Abak road, following the incident.

Secretary of Nnung Udo Uweme family, Mr Otobong Okpon said on Monday in Uyo that the family had expected the state government to promptly cover the drainages to forestall a repeat of such occurrence.

“The agency asked what the family and community needed, we asked that the woman’s corpse be recovered for proper burial and that the gutters should be desilted up to Michael Abraham and the slaps covered to avoid future occurrences.

“On Sunday, they sneaked in and evacuated those machines. On Monday we called to find out why that was so, they told us the machines were rented from NigerPet, not from the Ministry or agency.

“So, we called the family head, village head, youth president, we put heads together and decided to send a letter, inviting the state government to come and have a discussion with us, prominent on our demands was that we needed the corpse recovered for proper burial.

“We also requested that the gutters be desilted upto the big drainage at Nkemba Trough and all the slaps covered back to forestall future occurrences.

“We fixed the meeting last Friday 10 am at Iboko village hall (Civic Center Abak Road by Ukana Offort traffic light) the agency called to acknowledge receipt of the letter but told us the Chairman had travelled to Abuja, so the meeting was postponed to Tuesday,” he stated.

Unfortunately, the Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Environmental and Waste Management Agency, Hon. Prince Ikim has not been able to fulfill his promise to recover the corpse.

Ikim who promised that the agency would redouble its efforts to make sure the corpse is found had led the agency, environment experts, and the United Nations (UN) on a search for the corpse.

Meanwhile, other petty traders by Nwaniba Junction have appealed to the state government to promptly cover up the gutters and the major carnage opened up during the search, maintaining that the shoddy approach to the situation was a danger to the lives of others within the locality.

One Mr Iniobong Akpan advised the state government to engage a drone if it truly desires to recover the corpse.

“If the victim was a politician’s mother, mother-in-law, wife, or relative, I bet you the corpse would have since been recovered. But look at how they immediately abandoned the search.

“Ride a drone around the ravine where the gutters terminate, and you would at least be able to recover the corpse,” he said.