A’Ibom LG Boss, Three Others Arrested over Assassination of Council Scribe

By Okon Bassey in Uyo

The Transition Chairman of Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Abasiono Udomfu and three others have been arrested by security operatives in the state over the assassination of the Secretary of the council, Mr. Ime Atakpa.

The two other suspects reportedly arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State were said to have made confessional statement to the police that the transition chairman of the Ukanafun local government area paid them the sum of N300,000 to eliminate the local government scribe for undisclosed reason.

Another suspected culprit who is an aide to the chairman, Mr. Akaninyene Ibout, was also arrested last Wednesday, a day after the visit of the wife of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Martha Emmanuel, to inaugurate buildings erected for widows in the area last Tuesday.

A family member and relation to the wife of the murdered council’s secretary who pleaded for anonymity, informed journalists that the transition chairman of the council, Udomfu, during the visit of the governor’s wife had raised up his hands declaring thus, “God knows that my hands are clean concerning the murder of the LG secretary.”

The family source said after the transition chairman had made the declaration, his aide now in police detention equally declared that his hands were clean and that he did not have anything to do with the killing of the late secretary of the council.

The security operatives who were at the gathering and having heard the declaration, went the next day being Wednesday and arrested the aide to the council chairman, Ibout for interrogation.

In the course of investigation and interrogation, he was said to have mentioned the name of the council chairman and two other people of involving in the alleged murder of the council secretary.

Sources alleged that the transition chairman attempted to lobby the policemen that went to arrest him with money not to disgrace or link him to the crime but the offer was rejected.

 

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Chukwu Ikechukwu, confirmed the arrest of the council boss and others.

He said: “Investigation is on and soon as we conclude it, the matter will be charged to court.”

Late council Secretary was murdered on April 16, 2017 by four unidentified gunmen while in his farm closed to his boys’ quarter in Ukanafun

 

Related Articles