Widow decries beheading of husband in A’Ibom boundary conflict

Iniobong Ekponta, Uyo

A distraught widow, Mrs Immaculate Sampson Akpan, whose husband was gruesomely murdered with his head chopped off by armed hoodlums who invaded the village of Ndito Eka Iba, in Ibeno Local Government Area, from the neighbouring Eket Local Government Area, has cried out to the federal, state, local governments and other public-spirited Nigerians for succour.

It was learnt that her late husband, from Eket LGA, but resides in the coastal community of Ndito Eka Iba in Ibeno LGA, to engage in fishing business, was killed for allegedly acting as informant and saboteurs against the Eket aggressors, seeking to annex and cede the Ndito Eka Iba village to Eket.

Recall that the attack on Ndito Eka Iba village in Ibeno LGA by attackers from Eket is the fourth in the series of attacks on Ibeno LGA since the controversial attempt by former governor Udom to remap Akwa Ibom State, which the case is still in court.

Fighting back tears, while speaking to Journalists in Ibeno LGA, at the weekend, the middle-aged woman, recalled that they had lived peacefully in Ndito Eka Iba village for several years with no rancour.

She explained that the attack on the fishing community on Christmas Eve – December 24, 2024, has left a huge scar on the Ndito Eka Iba village, after the invaders from Eket LGA launched arson attacks on homes, destroying Churches, several boats with outboard engines, cars, motorcycles and other valuables including fishing gears.

Lamenting her ordeals, the mother of four recalled the sad incident that cost the life of her husband and several missing children, whose whereabouts remain unknown till today: “When our neighbours from Eket LGA launched the attack on the night of December 24, 2024, we were caught unawares

“Before the attack, the invaders had attempted to host a festival to herald the Christmas day, but instead of using the village name of Ndito Eka Iba, which is unit 6 ward 10 and a gazette village in Ibeno LGA instead use the name Okoiyak Ekid, to reflect their Eket identity; that Ndito Eka Iba village in Ibeno LGA, is no longer belonging to Ibeno LGA, but Eket LGA.

“Because of this, the youths of Ndito Eka Iba village, approached them, and advised them against such plans to alter the original name, but they instead threatened war, which they (the Eket people) later launched late that night, forcing people to escape into the dark shrub where they spent the night before emerging in the morning to seek refuge in safer locations.

“The entire village of Ndito Eka Iba has been left in total ruins and I have relocated to my village – Odio, in Eket LGA, after my husband had been killed and his remains buried in shallow grave without his head, which was severed from the rest of his body and taken away by the attackers.

“I have been dislocated from where I used to eke out my living with my four children, trading in fish, crayfish and other seafoods like periwinkles, prawns and others.”

Appealing to concerned authorities including the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Churches, individual and corporate organisations for relief materials for her and other displaced victims, Mrs. Akpan, lamented that “it has become too difficult to feed and clothes my four children in a new location without job or business.”

Responding, the commissioner of Police (CP), Baba Azare, said the suspects were still in custody, maintaining that “investigations on the case had since been concluded and the suspects charged to Court,” assuring that no one has any right to interfere in the matter, I take full responsibility over the case, and I have spoken with the investigative officer who told me that the matter had already been charged to court.”