The state’s Commissioner of Police,
Mr. Mu’azu Zubairu, through the command’s spokesman, Bala Elkana, said Uko was
wanted in connection with series of kidnappings and murder cases in the state.
Zubairu said: “The command is
appealing to members of the public with useful information, which might lead to
his apprehension, to kindly contact the nearest police station.”
There had been series of killings,
including murders of traditional leaders and prominent politicians in many
villages in Ukanafun Local Government Area in the last one year.
Last month, the command deployed
‘Operation Purge,’ teams to raid notorious flash points in Ukanafun and Etim
Ekpo council areas, in order to fish out gangsters believed to be behind series
of assassinations, cultism clashes and kidnappings in the state.
It would be recalled that a group of
unidentified gunmen, in July, attacked and killed Aniekeme Essien, a Vice
Principal at the Community Secondary School, Nkek, Ukanafun.
It was later gathered that the late
Essien had received a letter from his killers, few days before he was murdered.
The killers demanded that Essien either pay N1million or get killed.
Police believed that the gang, which
killed Essien, was the same that killed a popular youth leader in June, known
as Paragi.
In April, an educationist and
proprietor of Sure Foundation Polytechnic, Mr. Idongesit Udom, was abducted. He
was released towards the end of May after his kidnappers amputated his right
hand.
Another victim, Mr. Udom, was on his
way to Qua Iboe Church in his community when he was allegedly abducted by four
armed men in a van.
Some suspects have been arrested in
connection with the abduction of Udom and other crimes in the area. One of
those arrested is a former local government chairman.
The chairman was detained after he
went to honour police invitation over the incessant killings and kidnappings in
Ukanafun.
Prominent among those killed in
Ukanafun are a former Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Obong Okon
Uwah; former secretary of the Ukanafun Local Government Transition Committee,
Ime Atakpa, Albert Ukpanah, a political stalwart and a lawyer, Udeme Etukudo.
At the moment, residents of Nkek,
Okoyo, Ikot Akpa Nkuk, Ikot Ibekwe, Idung Nneke, Ikot Udo Obobo and Ikot Udo
Abia in Ukanafun, who had been living in fear, are expectant that the police
special teams will tackle the spate of kidnappings, killings, armed robberies
and cultism in the area.
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