•Petitions IG, NSA
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Akwa Ibom State businessman and social media commentator, Iboro Otu, has
petitioned the offices of the Inspector General of Police, the Director General
of the Department of State Security and the National Security Adviser over
alleged attempts to kidnap and assassinate him by the Personal Assistant to
Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State on Youth Mobilization, Hon.
Emmanuel Ekpenyong-Bassey, and four others.
Ekpenyong-Bassey
is also the Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Filed by Garland Chambers and signed by Paul Omoluabi, the petition, dated September 13, 2013, was titled: "Attempted Kidnapping, Attempted Murder and Threat to Life by the Personal Assistant to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on Youth Mobilization/The PDP Youth Leader, Akwa Ibom State - Emmanuel Bassey Ekpenyong and Four Others".
The
accusations levelled in the application against Ekpenyong-Bassey, an Ini born
self-styled activist, called to question his credibility and character. In the
graphic petition by Garland Chambers, which detailed the alleged kidnap and
assassination attempt, the solicitors noted: “We act as solicitors to Mr. Iboro
Otu (hereinafter referred to as “our Client”) and on whose unequivocal
instructions we write in the following regards. That on 3rd September, 2013,
our Client was in Uyo for the burial of the father of a family friend of his
(name withheld) at Ogu Itu Mbonuso, in Ini Local Government Area.
“Thereafter,
our Client commenced his return to Uyo, but unknown to him, some young men had
taken down his car details and had been trailing him with the criminal
intention of kidnapping him so as to eventually kill him. As our client
approached a turn 10 minutes away from Itak Junction in Uyo Local Government
Area and bent down toward his passenger’s seat to pick up his mobile phone
which had fallen from the dashboard onto the seat, an unmarked car with four
men brandishing firearms, double-crossed him and commanded him to alight from
the vehicle or he will be shot dead on the spot.”
According
to the entreaty, one of the alleged assailants shattered the rear window of Otu’s
Range Rover Evogue SUV with the butt of his gun in an attempt to gain access to
the door lock from the inside. It was in that moment that it reportedly dawned
on Otu that he was in the midst of a kidnap and assassination attempt from his
assailants.
The
petition stated further: "Our Client was able to escape from the scene by
screeching his car around through the bush and speeding off even at the risk of
being shot at, but was chased by these assailants. Upon the pursuit, our Client
drove to an Army unit at Itak Junction and immediately reported the incident
and further informed the military officers that the assailants were on their
way towards the Army unit. Few minutes after this report, the assailants
arrived with one Mr. Emmanuel Bassey Ekpenyong better known as Iraq at the Army
unit and they were apprehended immediately and unexpectedly. Our client
immediately identified one of the assailants."
The
petition further revealed that following the arrests of the five assailants,
one of them identified himself as Emmanuel Bassey Ekpenyong, the Akwa Ibom
State Governor’s Personal Assistant and referred to his fellow assailants as
“his boys”, pleading earnestly for their release – a plea the officers were
said to have turned down. Ekpenyong then reportedly entreated Otu for
forgiveness, stating that he (Otu) had been mistaken for somebody else while
offering to pay for the repair of the damaged vehicle. At that point, Otu was
said to have left the issue to be resolved at the discretion of the police.
The
solicitors further claimed in the petition: "Investigations and rumours
have it that the said Mr. Emmanuel Bassey Ekpenyong, a.k.a. Iraq, had
persistently and consistently been involved in similar kidnappings and murder
operations in the past but has always had his way."
Having
stated this, Otu proceeded to appeal to "your most esteemed office to
urgently deploy the resources at your disposal in investigating, ordering the
arrest of all persons directly and remotely involved in the kidnap and murder
attempt of our Client who is presently unsafe and worries about his security
and unknown vehicles are always trailing him in and out of Uyo."
Otu, who
hails from a renowned political family in the Akwa Ibom State, pointed accusing
fingers at the Akwa Ibom Government, averring: "As it looks, it seems a
kidnapping cum killing militia is set up by the Government of Akwa Ibom State
to silence all forms of real or perceived opposition in whatever form or
manner.
“It could
be that coming from a well-known political family and being very vocal and
engaging about leadership and entrepreneurial issues relating to the people of Akwa
Ibom State in particular, it seems the right ears are getting the wrong
messages and thus, the desire to silence me seems to be of importance."
While
affirming that all hands were on deck to bring the perpetrators to book. Otu
expressed his strong desire to "get these individuals arrested and
questioned to know their true motive and have justice served."
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