Akpabio on KIDNAPPINGS: They Want A State Of Emergency In Akwa Ibom (Posted February 5, 2010)
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By Essien Ndueso Less than twelve hours after the AkwaIbom State Governor, Obong Godswill Obot Akpabio convened an emergency security stakeholders meeting to deliberate on the incessant politically motivated kidnapping in the state, former Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and staunch supporter of the governor, General Edet Akpan who was kidnapped last Sunday was in the early hours of yesterday released. The State governor, Obong Akpabio, in his first reaction after the release of the PDP chieftain in the early hours of Thursday, accused the opposition of sponsoring violent crimes and working in concert with some members of the party to instigate the kidnapping of prominent AkwaIbom sons and daughters particularly those who are known to be strongly averse to their ethnic propelled kind of politics. According to the governor, "I have it on good authority that the aim of this politically motivated kidnapping is the handiwork of the opposition who believe through this kind of uncivilised manner, I would be forced out of the 2011 governorship election. They are also working in concert with some disgruntled members of the PDP to paint a picture of insecurity in the state so that what they could not achieve at the poll, they would get it through the backdoor which a declaration of a State of Emergency. In fact they are even accusing me as the one behind the spate of kidnappings in the state, and the question I ask them is when the al-quadae struck in the United States of America (USA) was former President Bush accused of being the one behind the attack?" He disclosed further that "no fewer than 20 names of prominent AkwaIbom State indigenes are in support of what the current government in the state is doing have been pencilled down for abduction before the next general election, all in their bid to stop me from contesting the 2011governorship." Before the release of General Akpan, the stakeholders meeting presided over by the governor had, through the traditional council threatened to invoke traditional methods toward fishing out the kidnappers if the former NYSC boss was not released. The stake holders meeting after a closed door issued a communiqué with a vow to deal with kidnappers and their faceless backers no matter how highly placed they are. At an enlarged Stakeholders’ Meeting held in Government House, Uyo, on Wednesday, Akpabio who appeared visibly angry, condemned sponsors of kidnapping in the state to create anarchy and cause confusion among the people, vowing to deal with the perpetrators of the heinous crime and their sponsors. "Government is determined to deal with the miscreants and bring them to book. We would re-double our effort to give Akwa Ibom people security. We won’t take easy with anybody who is culpable and we shall bring the full weight of the law to bear on the miscreants", Akpabio noted. The governor who addressed a mix of over 300 prominent citizens cutting across tribe, politics, academia, business and other divides, the governor described the spate of kidnappings in the state as the machinations of the oppositions and desperate politicians who resort to engage former militants to cause insecurity and score cheap political points. He cited the sad incident that occurred on Sunday, January 31 where kidnappers invaded Qua Iboe Church, Iwok in Nsit Atai Local Government Area, killed a chorister and a few others as well as abducted Major-General Edet Akpan (retd) to an unknown destination. "I feel deeply sad and distressed about the machinations of the political opposition to damage the image of government and create palpable fear in the state. In the Niger Delta, our state is not a militant group but a peaceful state", he remarked. He regretted that in recent times, some militant groups have found their way to Iwukem in Etim Ekpo, Ika and some come in through Obot Akara to perpetrate their nefarious activities in the state, attributing this to the handiwork of some prominent but disgruntled politicians of Akwa Ibom origin residing in Abuja. Akpabio assured the people of the state that government would not be intimidated by the people who try to fan the embers of disunity, noting that the identity of the sponsors of2 the kidnappers are known to the government. The Governor who described the incidents as a challenge to the security agencies however commended them for the feat in arresting some of the kidnappers who have been terrorizing the state in the past two years. He advised the people of the state to always volunteer security information to the government and the police, adding that the time to shout out against the dastardly act so that the sponsored kidnappers would not visit their doors. According to him, the issue of security of the state was the only agenda of the meeting, calling on the people to put their heads together on the way forward since he as the governor has no monopoly of knowledge. |
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