By Lovina Anthony Gunmen have attacked Corpers’ Lodge at Udo Ekong Ekwere street, off Information Drive, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capita...
By Lovina Anthony
Gunmen have attacked Corpers’ Lodge at Udo Ekong Ekwere
street, off Information Drive, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital and robbed the
occupants even after raping the female ones.
The incident it was gathered occurred at about 1:00am
Wednesday.
The hoodlums stormed the lodge in their tricycles, shot in
the air and carted away valuables including laptops, cell phones and cash.
When some journalists visited the area, the corps members
lamented that despite their cry for help during the incident, no one came
through for them.
According to one of them who identified himself as Emeka
Emmanuel, “They arrived on Keke and immediately started operation. They beamed
high-intensity torchlight everywhere and pounced on every door with heavy iron
and threatened to shoot us if we fail to cooperate”.
Another female Corps member, who wished to speak on
condition of anonymity, said her phones, laptop, and cash were forcefully taken
away from her after the hoodlums gained entrance into her room from the back
door.
“You know at that period of the night, most of us females,
do sleep naked and the suddenness of the attack caught us unprepared. They
beamed the torch through the window and threatened to shoot if the door is not
quickly opened.”
Another colleague interjected, “I have never heard of this
anywhere in Nigeria, even in the North, where insecurity is at the highest
peak, that Corpers could be deliberately targeted, raped and robbed by
criminals at gunpoint. Is it because we are not from Akwa Ibom that no one
could hear our shouts and come to save us?”
Mr. Nsikak Ibanga, a night guard at the State Secretariat of
the Nigeria Union of Journalists which is located opposite the Corpers lodge
said, ” I raised alarm by hitting the supporting pillars holding the reconstructed
NUJ auditorium, the sound reverberated across the whole area but no response”.
Another neighbour, Bassey Offiong, said “when I heard the
attack and the outcry of the Corpers, I quickly reached out to the Police at
Ikot Akpanabia Command, which is very close here, but they arrived a little
late after the criminals had finished and left with their tricycle”.
Also the Youth Leader of the area, Godwin Okpo, blamed
incessant criminal activities around communities on the collapse of internal
security organized by the local residents.
“I used to go round from house to house to collect monetary
contributions for the night vigilante group to secure the area at night but
suddenly they started accusing me of embezzling their money, so there was
nothing I could do again.
He added, “When I heard the incident late in the night
around I:00am, I moved to the place but since I was alone, there was nothing I
could do.”
He also blamed the inability of the youths to come out
because of the noise of generators running into late nights in most homes.
“I have told them that once it’s midnight, they should off
their generators so we can hear what’s happening in the neighbourhoods”, he
stressed.
When contacted the Police Public Relations Officer Odiko
Macdon said he was yet to be fully briefed on the incident, adding that he
would investigate and get back to Journalists
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