After 22 days, relations of Madam Ekaete Wilson Okpon of Nnung Udo Uweme family in Iboko Offot Village, Uyo, are yet to recover her corpse.
Madam Okpon, a petty trader had, on Wednesday, March 9, mistakenly fell into an open gutter by Nkemba junction during heavy rains.
Efforts by onlookers to rescue the drowning woman failed as water waves speedily swept her away.
Later, the family appealed to Akwa Ibom State Government to help recover her corpse.
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It also called on the state government to cover up open drainages in the area, including a major canal opened up during the futile search for Madam Okpon’s corpse.
Unhappy over the incident, members of her immediate community on Thursday, March 10, blocked the Nkemba area of Abak Road and demanded, among other things, an immediate recovery of the corpse and replacement of slabs on the gutters.
In reaction, Ministry of Environment and the Akwa Ibom State Environmental and Waste Management Agency, mobilised for search, with heavy machines and equipment, yet to no avail.
The Commissioner for Environment, Charles Udoh, who spent the entire day at the scene of the incident, assured that necessary measures were being taken to recover the corpse.
The Chairman of the agency in charge of waste management, Hon. Prince Ikim, assured news reporters that efforts were in place to recover the corpse.
Speaking with newsmen, Mr Otobong Okpon, the Secretary of Nnung Udo Uweme family, said the family had expected the state government to promptly cover the drainages to forestall a repeat of such occurrence.
