Residents panic as military goes after IPOB members in Akwa Ibom
Panic was instilled in the hearts of residents at the military bombarded the Ikot Akpan forest in the area of Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The military operation was aimed at flushing out hoodlums who had been attacking police formations in the state.
According to residents, who share vicinity alongside the hoodlums’ hideouts, claimed that the bombing of the forest started at 8am and ended at 12 noon on Tuesday.
The military exercise came Barely 24 hours after gunmen attacked the Imo State police command headquarters and the Nigerian Correctional Service in Owerri, the state capital, where 1,844 inmates were freed, the military exercise began
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in a statement by his SSA on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, ordered security agencies to fully mobilise and go after gunmen that had been attacking security agencies on Monday.
Residents had been asked to steer clear of the Ikot Akpan forest suspected to be a camp of gunmen before the military exercise in Akwa State on Tuesday.
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The operation began with the deployment of helicopters and drones for aerial surveillance and bombing before ground troops moved in to flush out criminal elements in the area
The Essien Udim LGA, where the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, hails from, has been under attacks by gunmen, who have been destroying their facilities and killing the cops.
The gunmen activities goes thus:
In February, they attacked Ikot Afanga community and killed an inspector of police identified as Aniekan, while a divisional police station in the LGA was set ablaze by the hoodlums. They also burnt police vehicles.
On March 31, 2021, three police officers, including a chief superintendent of police, Ben Ajide, were killed and four others declared missing in a failed reprisal carried out by the police against the hoodlums.
On Tuesday morning, residents, who had not fled the area stayed indoors as the military bombarded the hideouts of the criminals.
Residents were in fear as fighter jets flew at low levels to ensure proper surveillance of the area.
A resident stated that : “It was a fearful experience. We were woken up this morning by sounds of gunshots and military helicopters hovering around the entire village with fearful sounds. Although we heard the information, nobody knew it was going to be that fearful. So, I instructed my wife and children to remain indoors throughout the exercise”
Another resident and lecturer in the department of Mass Communication, Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osura, Dan Etokidem also confirmed the bombardment. He stated that “Well, the bombardment started in the early hours of today. I learnt they (the military) sent advance notification that the civilians should vacate the said areas before moving in this morning. So, the aerial bombardment and the support troops, moved in this morning around 8am or so. Most students from the polytechnic could hear the fighter jets and the gunshots. So, that is just It.”
