Bullets were lost on Tuesday in the country home of Senator Godswill Akpabio, Ukana Ikot Ntue village, Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State as security operatives engaged hoodlums in a shooting bout.
This is coming as the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday cautioned Akpabio to stop utterances capable of fuelling crisis in the state.
The gunmen numbering about six using two motorcycles had robbed a petrol station, a stone throw from the residence of the former senate minority leader shooting sporadically to scare passers-by.
Attracted by the noise of the gun shots from the hoodlums, security details to Senator Akpabio were said to have responded immediately but no live was lost or any casualty recoded.
The State Commissioner of Police, Adeyemi Ogunyemilusi, said the action was not a confrontation with Senator Akpabio who was holding a political meeting in his residence.
“It was just a mere coincidence that the incident happened at about 7:30PM, on Tuesday, August 21, when the meeting was on-going at His Excellency’s residence.
“Immediately the hoodlums attacked the filling station, somebody at the meeting called me. The Area Commander and other policemen were drafted to the scene and within minutes, security was restored.
“You know how Ikot Ekpene is with these hoodlums on motorcycles. So it just a flash incident of petty thieves robbing a filling station near the residence of Akpabio.
“Even our quick response was applauded by the senator when he came out of the meeting to see our men heavily on guard around the area, so nobody should overheat the polity because of politics.” he said.
Those who attended the meeting that last till the early hour of Wednesday in the Akpabio’s house reportedly took cover for their dear lives over the gun shot scare.
“We were holding a meeting with our leader, Senator Akpabio when suddenly people who were not part of the meeting ran into the Senator’s banquet hall where the meeting was held.
“The Senator inquired to know the cause of the commotion and before someone could explain, sounds of sporadic gun shots rented the air. It lasted for a while before the situation was brought under control and we had to end the meeting abruptly,” a source said.
The media aide to Akpabio, Anietie Ekong, said “The senator was at home holding political meeting with some APC groups. A retired deputy inspector-general police (DIG), Udom Ekpoudom, was in that meeting. Bishop Samuel Akpan was also there. I was there as an observer. We were in the banquet hall.
“Suddenly, people who were not part of the meeting rushed into the banquet hall, so the senator enquired from them what was going on. Before anybody could explain, we heard gunshots outside.
“The chief detail to the senator put out a radio message to all the policemen and other security men in the compound that they should be alert that there is an attack,” he said.
He lauded the security operatives for their quick intervention to bring everything under control.
However, reacting to a statement credited to Akpabio that the APC will take over the state like Hitler took Poland, PDP said in a statement that “our case is different because the political capture of Poland using security forces will not happen in Akwa Ibom State”.
The statement signed by the state Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong reads, “May we refer everyone, especially Senator Akpabio to the expository writings in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 ‘For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds’.
“As a party, having waited for more than 24 hours without any statement from him or his office, refuting the said news report, we have concluded that he made the statement. The weight to be attached to this war cry becomes the next line of thought.
“Should the statement be taken with a pinch of salt and viewed as one of the straw clutching antics of a drowning man? Or should it be viewed seriously, as a blood-thirsty motivated prophecy, announcing the plan of events to come?
“We should consider the similarity in the dramatis personae in both the historic Nazi invasion of Poland under the command of Hitler and the planned reincarnation of the carnage in Akwa Ibom State?
“Can we safely interpret the characters as presented by the Senator accordingly: Nazi-APC, Hitler-Buhari, Hitler’s Information Minister, Goebbels- Godswil Akpabio.
“It must be recalled that, the reason for Hitler’s invasion of Poland was to bring ‘Lebensraum’ or Living Space for the racially superior Germans to enslave the natives, and occupy their land. In contemporary Nigeria, Akwa Ibom has been listed by many leaders of the All Progressives Party, as one of the states that must be captured, at all cost.
“We can only therefore, like reasonable people, view this anti-people statement by Senator Akpabio as a confirmation of the war-ready disposition of the APC towards Akwa Ibom State.
“On several occasions, chieftains of that broom-wielding party have openly boasted that they will use federal might to win, or where that fails, simply announce the elections in their favour.
“When the Senator’s Nazi army arrives Akwa Ibom State, they will meet a people fortified and protected by God’s army, which will frustrate the devices of the crafty and prevent them from performing their enterprise.
“We can assure that only God’s determinate counsel will prevail in the election of the leadership of our state and not the devilish conspiracy to grab power.
“In Akwa Ibom State, that statement, that we saw war and war saw war saw, will be converted to read, war saw God and God extinguished war.
“Security agencies should investigate this war call a statement of such magnitude should arouse the interest of security agencies, who should invite the senator for questioning and explanation.
“Additionally, should our state witness violence from September 2018 and during the elections, Senator Akpabio should be held responsible.
“As the ruling party in Akwa Ibom State since 1999, and under the current leadership of the holder of the Divine Mandate, Governor Udom Emmanuel, we do not encourage and will not subscribe to violence under any guise.
“We urge our party faithful to continue their state wide mobilisation and sensitisation rallies without fear, conscious that in this political ‘aluta’, our victoria is ascertained,” Ememobong explained.
