A’Ibom youths decry nine missing children after Christmas Eve raid
The Youth President of Ndito Eka Iba village in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Ukot Robert, has revealed that nine children of the community have been declared missing since the Christmas Eve surprise attack allegedly by the Eket and Esit Eket neighbours.
Robert who spoke with journalists in Ibeno on Monday amidst information that their assailants had threatened another round of hostility said they were still ambushing and maiming people along the coastal area of the community.
He disclosed that the youths had apprehended and handed over to the police five persons who came to destroy some properties after the December 24, 2024, unwarranted attack.
“Ibeno East comprises of Esuk Ikem Ekeme which is ward 10 Unit 1, Itak Ifaha Unit 2, Itak Idim Nne Ekpe Unit 3, Esuk Ekim Akwaha Unit 4, Ndito Eka Iba Unit 5, Okomita Unit 6, Atia Ward 9 Unit 1, Itak Idim Ukpa Unit 2, Itio Esek Unit 3, Okposo one Unit 4 and Okposo two Unit 5; that all these villages are officially gazetted communities in Ibeno LGA, but their neighbours from Eket and Esit Eket have continually been perpetuating crisis in the area to cede these communities to Eket LGA leading to lost of life and 9 people missing including the children.
“Parents have been looking for some of their children after the incident but to no avail, adding that, those children went missing because of the attack in Ndito Eka Iba before the Christmas Eve attack.
“For people to miss from December 2024 till now in that carnage means that they might have been killed. The community had set up a search party to look for them, while the incident was reported to the police for further investigation,” he stated.
He listed the names of the missing children to include; Emmanuel Udoeka 11. Happiness John 8, Ikotiye Okon 6, Thompson John 3, Friday Moses 4, John Mfon 9, Gabriel Akpan 8, Susana Peter 7 and Ubong Benselem 14.
The president who blamed the crisis on the former governor’s controversial attempt to remap Ibeno LGA and cede some villages to other Local Government Areas, said however that the case is presently in court.
He said it was as a result of the remapping that, some people from Eket and Esit Eket led by one Aniedi Bassey a k.a Capital, living in Ndito Eka Iba village began to cause the problem in an attempt to annex the communities and rename them as Okoiyak Eket.
“The problem, led by one Aniedi Bassey and his boys from Eket LGA, started on December 21, 2024, when they wanted to host an event at Ndito Eka Iba, but instead changed the name of the venue in our village on their signpost (flex) to “Okoiyak Eket Village in Eket LGA”.
“When we saw what was written on the flex, we drew their attention to it and advised that it should be done correctly to avoid having issues with the Village Council.
“Rather, they started challenging us, as their boys came out with matchets and dangerous weapons to attack us. We later reported the incident to the then Ibeno Police DPO, Mr Victor Eze, but they could not do anything at that moment.
“Later in the night, we were surprised to see our Eket neighbours rise against Ibono people and others living in Ndito Eka Iba village; destroying lives, and property and maiming people, while some children went missing,” Robert stated.
Also, another survivor of the attack, Mr Uwem Bensalem Ekaete, father of four, shared his experience on how his 14-year-old son, Master Ubong, went missing from last December attack till now.
“Since that attack happened, I lost my 14-year-old son. I don’t know where he is right now or if he has been killed by the attackers.
“When the problem started, we were all packing a few things to leave the village. He also took some things and put them outside. Suddenly, we sighted the hoodlums coming to the compound and we ran away to escape from them.
“I ran to Nta Ikang village, a nearby community as they burnt down houses and beat up people.
It was after I was able to escape that I did not see my son, Ubong Uwem Bensalem, again. I came back to ask other people till now, but we cannot find him. I am appealing to the government to help us.”
A Chairman of Ndito Eka Iba Village Council, Ime Alfred Nkanga, who also spoke with journalists said throughout his 40 years living in Ndito Eka Iba, which is in Ward 10 with five units, Ibeno Local Government Area has been a peaceful community, until the eventful day when the hoodlums alleged to have come from Eket attacked them and destroyed their properties.
He appealed to the State government to restore lasting peace in Ndito Eka Iba village and indeed Ibeno East and also provide succour to them, as lives and properties were lost to the crisis, including children.
Reacting, the state Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, when contacted by PUNCH Metro, faulted the report of the missing children, describing it as untrue and fabricated by people who don’t want peace in the area.
He said such a report is not known to the police in the state, challenging the purveyors of the information to declare the identity of the parents of the missing children.
“Don’t help people fuel their imaginations. You know people will just sit down to create confusion to the world and at the end of the day they are telling lies. It’s not true, those who brought that information should prove it.
“If it’s true, why didn’t they report the matter to the police since? And they waited till March. We have been achieving peace but they don’t want peace to reign. Such information is not known to the police anywhere in Akwa Ibom,” he said.
