By Ugochukwu Alaribe
Youths numbering over 1,000 from Umuokpo community, Obingwa council area, took over Ikot Ekpene highway following the killing of their kinsman, Onyedikachi Nwaogu, by an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense, NSCDC, identified as Inspector Robinson Otobong Abel.
The youths marched with the corpse to Aba town where they were confronted by several patrol teams of soldiers and policeman. Even the efforts of the Transition Committee Chairman of Obingwa Council, Chief Kingsley Nnaji, failed to sway the youths to abort the protest. However, they defied the security agents amidst sporadic gunshots and paraded the corpse at some media houses in the area.
Vanguard gathered that the NSCDC official attached to the Akwa Ibom State Command was accompanying some white men to Akwa Ibom State when he shot Nwaogu as the Hilux Van in which they were travelling with made to pass through his(Nwaogu’s) compound due to the dilapidated state of the Aba- Ikot Ekpene highway in the area.
But the deceased was said to have insisted that the Hilux jeep ply the Aba- Ikot Ekpene highway as his father’s compound was not a road.
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Residents of the community told Vanguard that the NSCDC official after barking at the deceased to make way, pulled his gun and shot him on the legs and fired another shot into his stomach.
After the shooting, he reportedly threw the body into the back of the Hilux jeep and fled the area towards the border with Akwa Ibom state.
As they were arrested, the youths set ablaze the Hilux van while security arrested the NSCDC official and others with him.
According to the residents; “As the Civil defenceman saw our brother in a pool of blood and struggling for life, he threw him into the back of the Hilux jeep and their driver sped off. We raised alarm and some youths started chasing them.
They had gone past the Abia side of the border when some people contacted the Mopol men at the Akwa Ibom end who stopped them. They would have thrown away his corpse or even brand him an armed robber. He has been shot dead by a security man without committing any offence, left his wife and four children. This is the height of wickedness.”
Eze-elect of the Community, Chief Micah Ohajuru, urged the federal government to urgently rehabilitate the Aba-Ikot Ekpene highway to save lives, stressing that the incident would have been averted if the road was in good condition.
Contacted, Abia State Commissioner of Police, Janet Agbede, promised to get back to Vanguard, but never did as at press time. However, a security source in the state confirmed the arrest of the suspect.
