6 killed, villages razed in A- Ibom6 killed, villages razed in A- Ibom6 killed, villages razed in Akwa Ibom

No fewer than six persons
have been killed, while some villages
in Effiat, namely: Inua Abasi, Mbe
Ndoro, Ibuot Uton, Utan Brama, and
Utan Effiong in Mbo Local
Government Area of Akwa Ibom
State, were sacked by irate youths.
The youths set homes on fire during
a protest over lack of basic amenities
and non-payment of compensation
by the oil companies operating in
the areas.
It was gathered that the crisis
started last week but escalated
yesterday.
Thousands of the fleeing villagers
are currently taking refuge at Ibaka
beach with household items rescued
from the inferno.
The rampaging youths also accused
two prominent sons of the area of
depriving them of their entitlements
and diverting to their private
pockets, monies paid by the oil
companies for the development of
the communities.

one of the youth leaders of Mbo
Youth Forum, who declined to give
his name, said that they were
disappointed by the greed of their
prominent brothers, who have
turned round to betray the
communities.
He said: “Six people died as a result
of this denial and deprivation only
last week, and no one knows how
many lives would have been lost
today (yesterday).
“We had written to the Presidency,
the state government, the police and
the other security formations of the
gross misconduct of those two
individuals, but there has been no
response.
“We fought with the oil companies
and they agreed to be paying
compensation, which they have not
been paying to us as host
communities, but the two persons
involved connived with the
companies and collect a monthly
compensation of over N32 million,
which they continue to share.”
The youths alleged that a
gubernatorial aspirant, who is
running a community surveillance
contract with the oil companies and
a certain chief in the area, colluded
to deprive the communities of their
due.
Trouble, it was learnt, started when
two surveillance boats belonging to
the two prominent sons working for
the oil companies were seized by
the youths, after efforts to get the
two to release the monies as agreed
failed.
Mr. Etim Etim Etisong, a victim, who
narrated his ordeal
said: “I have lost my medicine and
provision shop and my 15 rooms
bungalow apartment. How and where
do I start from?”