Gunmen kidnap A’Ibom monarch from palace

The Paramount Ruler of Esit Eket, Edidem
Assam, was on Tuesday, kidnapped from
his palace at Akpa Utong, Esit Eket Local
Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.
The gunmen, said to be about seven in
number, stormed the palace around 2am.
They allegedly shot into the air several
times before dragging Assam out of his
bedroom into a waiting car, which they
drove in the direction of Unyenge, in Mbo
Local Government Area.
At Unyenge, Assam was allegedly picked
up by a speed boat, said to be heading
into the Oron high seas.
An eyewitness, Mrs. Ime Akpe, told our
correspondent that there was no casualty
during the operation, except that many
people sustained varying degrees of
injuries in the confusion that engulfed the
palace and its environs.
She said, “The gunmen surrounded the
chief’s compound, shooting into the air. I
thought it was a war. My daughter and I
ran into the bush. She sustained some
injuries while running. We saw them drag
the chief out of his palace. I thought they
came to kill him. But they put him into a
waiting car and sped off to the Unyenge
area of Mbo. By the time the police came,
the gunmen had gone.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Akwa
Ibom State Command, Mr. Etim Dickson,
said he would get back to our
correspondent once he confirmed the
news from the Divisional Police Officer,
Esit Eket.
But a police Inspector said he received
distress calls from different sources
around 2am on Tuesday. The source said
before the police could arrive at the
scene, the kidnappers had already left
with the royal father.
He said, “There were a lot of calls from
different quarters informing us of the
operation of the kidnappers, but before
we could mobilise our men from Uquo to
Akpa Utong, they had already fled the
scene with the chief.
“But we are going to send our men to
comb the community in search of the
abducted chief.”

Punch