Three residents of Udo Ekong Ekwere area of Atan Offot community in the Uyo metropolis have been hospitalised after suffering varying degrees of gunshot wounds inflicted on them by a female operative of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
A resident of the community, Abasifreke Etim, who was physically assaulted, told newsmen that trouble started when officials of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) carried out mass disconnection of electricity to some defaulting homes, cutting and carting away cables, which infuriated angry residents to react.
It was gathered that the local residents, who were said to have been miffed by the sinister action of the PHEDC officials, had attempted to prevent them from going away with the cables, forcing the female NSCDC operative to open fire to scare the angry youths away but three persons including a woman were caught by stray bullets.
He said: “There was real horror at Atan Offot community when some dare-devil untamed officers of the NSCDC attacked the peaceful community, opening sporadic gunfire at citizens, mortally injuring at least three persons, who are now lying critically ill, but responding to treatment in various hospitals in Uyo.
“At some minutes past 10am, officials of the PHEDC led by a certain Daniel, who was described as a notorious serial extortioner who steals customers’ cables, led some very untrained and uncivilised officers of the NSCDC to our area, where the PHEDC officials disconnected some customers, and made away with their cables.
“One of the owners of the cable requested to have his cable back, insisting that his cable be left for him, but the said Daniel collected a jack knife from one of the NSCDC officers and stabbed one person in the hand.
“Then, a lady officer of the NSCDC squatted on one knee and opened sporadic fire in the community, and persons who were not even at the scene of the scuffle were hit by stray bullets including a woman, identified as Helen Ime Okon, who was selling her wares across the road but was fatally injured in the neck while bending to attend to a customer.
“A young man shot at a close range in the leg, and another visitor who was passing by the road was hit in the hand and the buttocks. After the sad incident, the PHEDC officials who procured the NSCDC officers to carry out the unprovoked attacks on the citizens, got reinforcement from the Police, and went round the community arresting, assaulting, harassing and brutalising citizens, including minors, at random.”
Meanwhile, the village head, Etteidung Alfred Ekong, has reported the matter to the Police led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the ‘C’ Division. Who appraised the situation and advised the NSCDC officers against indiscriminate use of firearms against defenceless civilians.
A human rights lawyer and convener of the Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community (AHRC), Clifford Thomas, vowed to take up the matter with the appropriate authorities, “to ensure that justice is done to all persons so that this belligerence is not repeated in the society.
“The officers involved in this infraction and near-unlawful killing situation should be apprehended, investigated, prosecuted and the appropriate sanctions imposed according to the laws of the land. We shall brief our team of lawyers, involve all known human rights organisations, including the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the NBA Uyo Human Rights Committee.”
The NSCDC public relations officer (PRO), Friday Ekerete, confirmed the incident, but said the officer in question acted in self-defence to prevent being lynched by the angry mob, adding that she only fired warning shots in the air to scare the mob away.
According to him, the state commandant of the corps, Engr Eluyemi Eluwade, deeply regretted the incident that has the potential of straining the long-cherished cordial relationship between the NSCDC state command and Atan Offot residents.
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