The village head of Nsie community in Okobo Local government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Henry Esimeme. has been killed in a long standing youth leadership crisis.
A youth, one Sunday Walter Ukoh, was also killed while one house was torched and another destroyed during the crisis.
It was gathered that Esimeme was attacked and killed along with Sunday Walter Ukoh after they were suspected to have poisoned to death a former youth President, Aniefiok Mkpo-Abasi.
A statement on Tuesday signed by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Nnudam Fredrick, titled, ‘Unacceptable acts of savagery perpetrated by the people of Nsie community in Okobo LGA’, said the former youth President died on July 12, 2020, after taking a herbal concoction in the house of Sunday Walter Ukoh.
According to the statement, the development enraged some elders of the community including the Supervisory Counsellor of finance in the local government, Nkereuwem John, who along with other accomplices attacked and killed the village head.
The statement added that 15 suspects have been arrested while 14 have been declared wanted in connection with the crisis.
“On 15/7/2020 at about 0845am, the Police Command received a disturbing report of mayhem in Nsie village occasioned by an incident in which the former youth president of Nsie village, one Aniefiok Mkpo-Abasi a.k.a King of Boys was alleged to have died on 12th July, 2020, on suspicion of drinking some local gins mixed with herbal concoction in the house of one Sunday Walter Ukoh ‘m’ of the same address.
“Following the incident, some disgruntled youths and elders of Nsie village under the aegis of the youth president, one Usong Morrison John ‘m’ and Nkereuwem John the Supervisory Councilor for Finance, Okobo Local Government Area arose from a meeting held at the village square and allegedly attacked and killed the village head of Nsie, one Chief Henry Esimeme ‘m’ and Sunday Walter Ukoh.
“In a related development, the hoodlums set a house on fire while another one was damaged,” the statement said.
The police spokesman said the commissioner of police Imohimi Edgal had deployed patrol teams to the village resulting in the arrest of 15 while 14 have been declared wanted
Edgal lamented people could resort to killing themselves despite the community policing platform already in place in the area to resolve all differences
Fredrick said the state commissioner of police has ordered a discreet investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the incident.
The investigation panel headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of the State CID is mandated to restore normalcy and find a lasting solution to the crisis
While warning perpetrators of the crime who had fled the community the Commissioner appealed to the good people of Akwa Ibom State, particularly the indigenes of Nsie village to volunteer useful information on the whereabouts of the above-wanted persons for arrest and investigation.