Akwa-Ibom Monarch kidnapped from palace by Gunmen
A monarch and the Paramount Ruler of Esit Eket, Edidem Assam, was kidnapped from his palace at Akpa Utong, Esit Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State on tuesday.
The kidnappers numbering about seven in number, stormed the palace around 2am. The gunmen were said to have shot into the air several times before dragging Assam out of his bedroom into a waiting car, which they drove in the direction of Unyenge, in Mbo Local Government Area.
The monarch was then picked picked up by a speed boat at Unyenge and headed into the Oron high seas.
An eyewitnesses said there was no casualty during the operation, except that many people sustained varying degrees of injuries following the confusion that engulfed the community.
One of the eyewitnesses said “The gunmen surrounded the chief’s compound, shooting into the air. I thought it was a war. My daughter and I ran into the bush. She sustained some injuries while running. We saw them drag the chief out of his palace. I thought they came to kill him. But they put him into a waiting car and sped off to the Unyenge area of Mbo. By the time the police came, the gunmen had gone.”
A police Inspector who pleaded anonymity said he received distress calls from different sources around 2am on Tuesday. The source said before the police could arrive at the scene, the kidnappers had already left with the royal father.
He said, “There were a lot of calls from different quarters informing us of the operation of the kidnappers, but before we could mobilise our men from Uquo to Akpa Utong, they had already fled the scene with the chief.”
