In a desperate effort to assist the police curb criminal activities in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, the Council Chairman, Mr Akaniyene Tommey has threatened to demolish any property serving as hideout to criminally minded elements.
Tommey gave the warning on Thursday January 30, 2025, in a meeting he had with landlords and heads of security agencies in Eket at the Local Government Council Hall, to fashion out modalities and strategies for collaboration, and to strengthen efforts in enhancing security.
Of recent, there has been a surge in criminal activities in Eket with kidnappings taking the center stage. The CEO of Hezebah shopping plaza along Afaha Uqua Road was recently kidnapped and held for months until a ransom of Forty-Five million Naira was allegedly paid to the daredevil gunmen before his release. The driver of the victim was shot dead while his police orderly sustained life-threatening injury from gun shot.
Irked and disturbed by the ugly trend, the Chairman went into action and called on the entire residents of Eket to wake up and challenge the intruders.
“Under my watch, Eket must be safe. I live, wine and dine here in Eket Local Government Area. I won’t hesitate to bring down any property serving as hideouts to criminally minded elements in the society”, Tommey thundered.
Speaking further, he said,
“As Chairman, it is my duty to ensure that both residents and business owners, indigenes and non-indigenes alike, can live and operate in peace and harmony. Achieving this requires the cooperation of landlords, as security is a shared responsibility”.
Penultimate week, the Chairman had a similar meeting with hotel proprietors and head of security agencies where he raised the red flag and charged them to assist put a screeching stop to insecurity in Eket.
The meeting seems to have produced positive results as some criminal elements have been apprehended by the police, recently.
“We have made significant progress in apprehending perpetrators of unlawful acts, thanks to the swift response of the Nigeria Police Force. However, to sustain and improve on these successes, we urge landlords to actively collaborate with the government in building a safer and more secure community”, he revealed.
Reacting to the threat by the Chairman to demolish houses known to harbour criminals, a legal practitioner, Barrister Udo Akpan said “unless a bylaw is put in place by the Local Government, it will amount to illegality and malicious damage for such action to take place.
“The State Government has the power under the kidnapping law to demolish any property known to be used by kidnappers but it does not extend to give the local government Chairmen such powers. In order for his threat to have legal backing, a bylaw must be put in place to protect such eventuality”, Barrister Akpan said.
In carrying out their duties, the police are reported to be arresting innocent people, arbitrary, even as early as 8 p.m.
A bricklayer who gave his name as David Uwa from Ikot Ibiok lamented how he was arrested by the police along Eket-Oron Road at about 8 p.m and was bundled into a waiting van and taken to the police station for committing no offense.
“I was returning from my work and decided to trek home. The police accosted me along Eket-Oron Road and even searched my bag containing my work tools. They didn’t find anything incriminating on me but yet they bundled me into their waiting van and took me to their station in Uqua. They arrested many other people along with me. I had to bail myself with some money before i got home around eleven in the night”, he lamented.
As a result of the excesses of the police, in carrying out their duties, the city now becomes a ghost town as early as 7 p.m, as monitored by some concerned persons
Eket Local Government Area used to be the most peaceful city in the State, even during the peak of clusters and bubbling of activities of oil servicing companies in the area but things have suddenly changed.
©Assam Abia
