Suspected gunmen abducted Mr. Monday Ekoriko, the Principal of Madonna Community Secondary School (MCSS) in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom over the weekend.
Ekoriko was abducted from his hometown, Udianga Enem in Etim Ekpo Local Area of Akwa Ibom State in a new twist seen as a resurgence of kidnapping and other form of criminalities that had led to the local residents of Etim Ekpo and the adjoining Ukanafun LGA fleeing to safer areas in the last couple of years.
Narrating the sad incident, Mrs Menim Ekoriko, wife of the victim, told our correspondent Sunday that several armed youths stormed our family compound at Udianga Enem village at about 7:30 p.m., overpowered my husband, bundled him into his new Lexus SUV and whisked him away.”
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“I was in the toilet located in the nearby bush in the compound when they arrived and took over strategic places in the compound, while others invaded the house, where they fished him out and started beating him when he showed resistance,” she explained, adding that the operation lasted for about two hours.
The Youths’ leader of the village, Comrade Udeme John, wondered why a Kidnapping operation could last that long without response from the Police check point at the nearby Edem Akai village, few metres away from the scene of the incident.
“I don’t know why such incident should happen and the Police standing guard at the nearby Etim Ekpo-Edem Akai-Iwukem-Abak Highway. And, even my people could not run down to inform me so we could rally everyone to block the roads with logs of woods to prevent them from taking the teacher away,” he noted.
The eldest son, Menyene Ekoriko, a student at the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic (AkwaPoly), Ikot Osurua in Ikot Ekpene LGA, said “When I learnt that my father was kidnapped, I rushed down to the village and immediately reported the matter to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Utu Etim Ekpo, who led some of his men to this compound Sunday morning.
“They took some information from my mother and myself as well as inspected the scene and gave assurances that the culprits would be apprehended,” he said.
Confirming the story to journalists in Uyo, Odiko MacDon, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police, said “We are aware of the incident. The Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Olatoye Durosinmi, has condemned the incident and is personally coordinating the Police Anti-Kidnapping Squad, and they have gone after the kidnappers.”
