Family raises alarm
over navy’s intimidation
•Accuses officer of masterminding fatal attack
By Anthony Duruji
Thursday, March 13, 2008
A family in Calabar, Cross River State, has raised alarm
over intimidation by men suspected to be from the Nigerian
Navy base in the state. His offence, according to him, was
for daring to re-open the case of their family members allegedly
killed by men of the Force.
Identified as the Edem Archibong family, they narrated to
Daily Sun how naval men, attached to the Eastern Naval Command
in Calabar stormed their resident like locusts recently and
arrested residents including a helpless old woman and a young
boy.
The incident, it was gathered, occurred in April 2004, and
has since been treated with kid gloves by the hierarchy of
the force, which Daily Sun learnt was working to shield the
officer who was alleged to have led the operations.
Losing faith in the navy, the family has taken the matter
to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, for necessary
action, especially, having identified that the officer, who
allegedly committed the crime had been making progress in
the Navy despite the heinous crime.
Already, the officer, a Captain, was alleged to have been
involved in the killing of one Mrs. Margaret Etim Atakpo,
a 60-year-old woman and Master Akabom Mkpang Boco, a six-year-old
boy in April 2004 when the navy stormed the area.
The officer was said to be with the Nigerian Naval Ship (NNS)
Kyanwa when the incident occurred and was alleged to have
ordered the deployment of troops that wreaked havoc in the
home of Edem Archibong.
The family of Edem Archibong is still in shock over the attack
by the naval men attached to the Eastern Naval Command. They
were more confused especially, when the naval authorities
kept mum on the incident.
The family wondered why the officer, who authorized the killing
and the men, who carried out the incident, have not been brought
to book since April 2004, when the incident occurred.
Key officers of the Force, not happy about the killing, said
the officer have risen steadily and got choice appointment
instead of being punished.
In a petition to Okiro, the family said that Mrs. Archibong
had, on April 7, 2004, gone to visit her mother at her residence
in Edem Street, also in Calabar, in company of her six-year-old
son.
It was gathered that on her arrival, she was informed that
there had been an earlier misunderstanding between some persons
referred to as the ticket boys at the Marina Jetty and a naval
personnel in the area.
It was not really clear what ignited the earlier crisis, but
Daily Sun learnt that the Marina Jetty is a place where boats
operating from Calabar to the riverine areas, including Oron,
pick their passengers and transport them and their goods to
the riverine areas.
The petition, signed by Joe Edet, quoted Mrs. Archibong as
saying that shortly after she was briefed about the earlier
crisis, she was surprised that naval personnel stormmed the
area, shooting and beating anyone they came in contact with.
By the time the operation ended, a grandmother and her innocent
six-year-old son were killed.
Bullets, Daily Sun gathered, had hit the old woman on the
chest and shoulder, while the little boy was hit on the stomach.
Following the killing, the community was thrown into confusion
and mourning with most members of the community expressing
bitterness over the tragedy.
They decided to take the remains of the deceased persons to
the naval ship.
As the members got to the ship side with the corpses, they
were persuaded by the Commanding Officer of the vessel to
be calm as the Nigerian Navy had commenced investigations.
Till date, the petition noted, nothing had been heard, while
the suspect is free.
Mrs. Edem Archibong, Daily Sun learnt, has demanded that the
Navy or the Nigeria Police brought the culprit to book, saying
that was the one thing that would compensate for the death
of her mother and son.
Apart from this, she had demanded that the some of N100 million
be paid to her as compensation, saying that even though the
amount cannot replace her late son, "the navy needs to
part with something."
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