Worried by the level of criminality and insecurity bedeviling Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun in Akwa Ibom State, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi has summoned an enlarged security stakeholders meeting in order to nip in bud of this menace ravaging the said communities.
Declaring the meeting open weekend at the Command’s headquarters in Ikot Akpanabia Uyo, the state capital, Ogunjemilusi said that the essence of the meeting was to brainstorm and come out with ideas and lasting solutions to the security challenges.
His words, “your sincere inputs and contributions will therefore go a long way to demonstrate our commitment to peace and security.”
The Commissioner who lamented over the spate of massacre, rape, cultism, arson, armed robbery,kidnapping and other forms of criminality in those areas said the youths of Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun who were known to be creative and industrious had lost the track by allowing themselves to become willing pawns for politicians saying that this has brought the state into disrepute.
Ogunjemilusi also admitted that these nefarious acts had led to massive displacement of people from their homes thereby depriving them of their source of livelihood.
He however reassured of his commitments in restoring peace and sanity in the affected communities saying heavy presence of policemen in the areas has facilitated the gradual return of those who had fled those communities.
Also speaking at the meeting was Barr. Enoidem who commended the Commissioner’s initiative in convening the security meeting. He urged the youths to lay down their arms and make their grievances known through dialogue.
The Chairman of Etim Ekpo, Hon Udeme Eduo on his own promised that his community would form a vigilante group to address the issue of insecurity, he therefore called for government funding of Local Governments and police as well.
However a thirteen point agenda were resolved through a communique, among which were: equipping of police commands, establishment of joint patrol/crack teams with proper funding for effective operations, special peace mission to be dispatched to the two Local Government Areas, restriction of the operations of the use of motor bike in the areas between the hours of 7:00pm and 6:00am and the separation of politics from issues of security.
