From Joe Effiong, Uyo
More than seven persons are said to have been killed and many more injured in a communal clash between Uko Ntenghe and Uko Akpan communities in Mbo local government of Akwa Ibom state.
The two communities which have been involved in the perennial disputes over farmland for some years, revived the clash on Monday when some youths suspected to be from Uko Ntenghe village, hometown of the Secretary to the State Government(SSG), Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, attacked a farmland in Uko Akpan and allegedly raped a woman, who they also took hostage.
Uko Akpan village, ironically, is the hometown of a former Inspector General of Police(IGP) the late Etim Inyang.
Unconfirmed reports have it that another set of youths from Uko Ntenghe had sneaked into Uko Akpan in Enwang, the headquarters of Mbo LGA, to kill four persons and injure many others said to be in critical condition at the time.if filing this report.
It was gathered that three persons who were critically injured in the Monday attack have died thereby bringing the total number of those killed to seven.
The whereabouts of the clan head of Ewang, HRH Ovong Bassey Atabia II is not yet known, while one of his sons is said to have been among those injured by the attackers.
They also reportedly burnt down two houses and several cars in the serene village, which is now deserted.
A youth leader, Michael Etim, while narrating the dastard act, appealed to the state government and security agencies to step into the dicey situation and restore calm in the area.
“This is a matter of life and death. Those in the village are not safe”, he lamented.
Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, an indigene of the local government area could not be reached as at press time, as calls and message sent to his phone and WhatsApp were not answered.
The Police said they were on top of the situation, but the Enwang community want reinforcement from other sister security agencies to safeguard lives and property.
Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko MacDon, a Superintendent of Police said, “we are on it. Our men are on the ground there.”
