Etung killings : Owan-Enoh, APC turning villages to killing field - Chiefs allege

Slain PDP chieftain, Mr Ayuk Ogar

Chiefs and opinion leaders from various villages in Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State have cried out over the killing of four persons, including Mr. Ayuk Ogar, the ward chairman of the Peoples democratic Party (PDP) in Bendegehe Ekeim by thugs suspected to be loyal to a faction of the All Progressive Congress (APC) led by Senator John Owan-Enoh.

In a petition to the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, the petitioners accused the APC and Owan Enoh of allegedly turning their villages into killing fields even as they appealed to the IGP to do something urgently to arrest the ugly situation.

They said that the killing of the four persons, which took place on February 16, 2019, the day of the postponed presidential and national assembly elections, is the latest in a series of orgy of violence visited on their communities in recent times.

Recounting what transpired on that day, the petitioners said: “At the peace meeting called by well-meaning leaders and elite of Bendeghe-Ekiem, on Saturday, February 16, 2019, Mr. Ayuk Ogar, the ward chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was brutally murdered in cold blood by a gang led by one Agbor Mgbe in broad day light and right in front of the peace committee panel.”

They recalled that “for the most part of 2018, a gang of young men held the community hostage, defying all known community authorities and rules to unleash mayhem and engaging in several forms of criminality- armed robbery, abductions and murders.

“Specifically, on the 4th of November 2018, four persons were gruesomely murdered, and several others maimed.”

Continuing, the petitioners alleged that in the recent killings on the 16th of February 2019 were carried out by political thugs suspected to be loyal to Senator Owan-Eno faction of the APC.

“This information as well as the nefarious activities of the thuggery gang from the 12th of February are all without the knowledge of the Etung Police Division which instantly confront them on their patrols.

The Etung leaders and elite rued the petition to the IGP that the February 16th killings, just as the past ones, including the perpetrators, even as the sponsors are known by the Police authorities in Etung.”

These events, particularly those of the 4th and 25th November, 2018, including the list of perpetrators and sponsors are all within the knowledge of the Divisional Police officers, Etung Area Command, Ikom and the Cross River State Police headquarters and the office of the IGP through the office of the Commander, Intelligence Response Team (IG-IRT), based on a petition written by the chiefs and community council chairman.”

Against the background of the above, the Etung leaders are asking the IGP, the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS) to save the souls of the people by freeing them from what it termed, “Sponsored insecurity across Etung Local Government.”

The petition was signed by Etung leaders among whom were Agbor Mgbe, Osonwo-Ayi Ojong, Oru Agbor, Oru Amba Bity, Ayuk Emmon, Moses  Ekure Eji, Manyo Ntue Etta, Ogar Obaji and Obi Ntue Etta.