Following the killing of one soldier at Iwukem Junction in Etim Ekpo Local Area of Akwa Ibom by some militants over the weekend, the people of the area have been engulfed with fear over rumoured reprisal attack by soldiers against the community.
It was gathered that people flee their homes to stay in the bush and churches for fear of being attacked by soldiers
According to our source, ‘‘Last Saturday, militants attacked the village and killed six persons including a soldier and five villagers at the Iwukem junction and burnt their hilux vehicle. The following day, in what looked like a reprisal exercise, a detachment of soldiers was drafted to the village and the invasion houses were set blaze including more than 50 shops within the Junction.
‘Our people mainly women now sleep in churches and police station while the men take refuge in the bush for fear of the anticipated raidby soldiers’’.
The village Head, Chief Friday Uyoh and the Youth Leader, Comrade Ubokutom Akpanowo, decried the state government’s negligence on their plight alleging that no government official has visited the village since the gunmen invaded it on Saturday and the soldiers attacked them on Sunday.
The youth leader, Comrade Ubokutom Akpanowo, said that since the attack on the village, the soldiers who mount a check point by the Junction left the village only to resurface on Wednesday afternoon; and were seen discussing with policemen from MOPOL 25 which has a base in the village.
He said the appearance of the soldiers caused panic in the entire village.
The anger of the soldiers, Akpanowo claimed, is that the villagers did not support them to fight the gunmen, and queried how villagers who do not have arms could have repelled the attackers who came into the village about 10 PM.
On why the village was the target of attack by the gunmen, Akpanowo stated that since the security crisis in some parts of Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun local government areas since last year, Iwukem has served as a refuge for persons who fled their villages.
However when the Spokesman for the 2 Brigade, Major Bashir Jajiro was contacted he dispelled such rumour saying that the army has no such plan and asked members of the community to report any human right abuse to the Human Rights Desk at the Brigade Headquarters in Uyo.
