Gunmen kill commissioner’s sister, 2 others
Three persons were killed at the country home of Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Obong Udo Ekpenyong, by gunmen at the weekend.
The hoodlums were said to have attacked Ekpenyong’s residence in his village, Ikot Okusung, in Ukanafun Local Government Area of the state at about 2am yesterday, killing his sister and two others.
Daily Sun learnt that the hoodlums stormed the commissioner’s home on motorcycles and shot their way into the building, killing his sister, a teacher by profession, and destroying valuables in the house.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has confirmed the killing. The state police public relations officer, DSP Bala Elkana, told our correspondent that the two others killed outside the building were responding to the alarm raised by the slain woman.
“The four gunmen entered his house and shot his sister. When they entered, she raised an alarm and people tried to come to her rescue. So, when the hoodlums were fleeing, they shot indiscriminately and killed two persons on the road. But inside the house they killed one person, a woman, that is, the sister to the commissioner,” Elkana said.
He added that the police were on the trail of the gunmen and have blocked the roads to comb the whole area. However, as at the time of filing this report, no arrest has been made.
“That is one of the reasons that we have placed a ban on motorcycles. All the killings that have taken place in the area were carried out by people riding bikes. I have issued a release this morning on the ban of the use of motorcycles in Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun from 6pm till 7am till further notice,” the PPRO said.
Unconfirmed reports had it that the hoodlums also attacked the residence of the former Commissioner for Education in Ikot Okusung, Ukanafun, in the early hours of yesterday.
No fewer than 20 people have been killed in Ukanafun in the past three years by suspected political thugs and rival cult warlords.
Prominent among the casualties were the former Deputy Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Obong Okon Uwah, and former secretary of Ukanafun Local Government Council, Mr Ime Atakpa.
