Gunmen kidnap Akwa-Ibom paramount ruler’s wife, children

Hamilton Nwosa
Writer

Ad

U.S. Oil Output Beats Weekly Estimates in June

U.S. crude oil production hit a new record in June at 13.58 million barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration’s latest Petroleum Supply Monthly. That’s 133,000 barrels more than May and 2.5 percent higher than a year ago. The new monthly figures also show a sharp disconnect from the EIA’s weekly estimates. For…

Zelenskyy fumes as ex-Ukrainian parliament speaker is shot dead

By Obinna Uballa Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned the killing of former parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy as a “horrendous murder,” vowing that every resource will be deployed to track down the attacker. “All necessary forces and means are engaged in the investigation and search for the killer,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on social…

Rivers Crisis: Fubara will return as governor after September 18, Wike declares

• Hails LG election as peaceful By Obinna Uballa Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has assured that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the State House of Assembly will resume their constitutional duties once the emergency rule in the state expires on September 18. Wike, who spoke to journalists on Saturday…

Ad

10 unknown gunmen on Friday night abducted the pregnant wife and four children of Ubong Assam, the paramount ruler of Esit Eket in Akwa Ibom.

Chief Asuquo Abia, the Secretary, Traditional Rulers Council, Esit Eket, on Saturday said, that the gunmen invaded the palace of the paramount ruler in the wee hours of Friday morning.

Abia, who is also the Village Head of Afaha Akpenedi, said the gunmen shot sporadically for over five hours from 1.30 a.m. to 6 a.m.

“The gunmen destroyed part of the palace with dynamites and broke into all the rooms and carted away valuables,’’ he said. He said the gunmen arrived at the palace on Thursday claiming to be policemen from Abuja on an investigation.

“They later came back the next day around 1.30 a.m. and shot sporadically till 6 a.m. in the morning,’’ Abia said.

Also, a family member, Mr Norbert Assam, said that seven people wounded in the incident were hospitalised in the state.

He said that the paramount ruler’s wife was eight months pregnant when she was kidnapped. Assam also said that the gunmen escaped the scene with their victims in the paramount ruler’s Jeep.

“They came in two vehicles, a white Hilux van and a sports utility vehicle; they met the paramount ruler and said they came from Abuja to investigate a matter of attempted murder on the life of the monarch.

“We saw two masked men in the Hilux van who they claimed were suspects of the attempted murder case, but they did not allow us to go near the vehicles,’’ Assam said.

He said that gunmen came from the creeks in Esit Eket Local Government Area, adding that they ransacked the palace and took away valuables and money.

Reacting to the incident, the Police Public Relation Officer in Akwa Ibom, ASP. Cordelia Nwawe, said the command was yet to receive a report on the kidnap from the Divisional Police Officer in the area. Nwawe said that the family had also not intimated the command of the incident, but added that the police was committed to safety of life and property in the area.

 

Ad

X whatsapp