7th September, 2012
The Ntan Obu community in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State, southsouth Nigeria, has refuted claims by the Cross River State Police Command that only one person was killed in May during the invasion of the community by their Ikpanya neighbours from Akwa Ibom State.
Reacting to the statement by the Cross River State Police Commissioner, Mr. Osita Exechukwu, that only Chief Mfon Asanye was killed during the attack, Professor Edet Matthew Anam said 34 people were killed including four policemen stationed in the community.
“It is not by any means true that only Chief Mfon Asanye was murdered in his house but 34 other members of the community were killed in the attack,” he said.
Anam, who spoke with P.M.NEWS at the University of Calabar, said the police erroneously transferred the case of the crime committed in Odukpani which is under the jurisdiction of the Cross River State Police Command to Akwa Ibom State which has stalled progress in the investigation on the case.
He said the case should be transferred to the Cross River Police Command or “to the Zone Six Police Command to allow for proper and prompt investigation of heinous attack.”
Anam stated that the four policemen stationed in the community are not missing but were murdered by the invaders because their uniform and some parts of their decapitated bodies were found at the scene of the attack.
“The policemen were killed because their clothing and some parts of their remains were collected by the police who visited the scene of the attack,” he said.
He said the claim that the police are mounting surveillance to get to the root of the disappearance of the policemen is a curious development because four months after the attack, if the policemen were still alive they would have been found.
He called on the Cross River State Government to wade into the matter to stop the mindless attacks which culminate in killings and destruction of property. “The case should be transferred to the Cross River Police Command so that the issue can be addressed once and for all,” Anam said.
Mr Mr Umar Gwadabe, the Akwa Ibom Police Commissioner, said the matter was still being investigated by his command.
By Emma Una/Calabar