Two out of three persons abducted by gunmen at a relaxation centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, are still in captivity, 14 days later.
The three victims were abducted on 27 January at ME Lounge, a bar at Osongama Housing Estate in Uyo.
The police spokesperson in the state, Odiko Macdon, told PREMIUM TIMES, Wednesday, that he was not aware of the incident.
The State Commissioner for Internal Security, Koko Essien, however, confirmed the incident to this newspaper on Wednesday.
In his response to a PREMIUM TIMES enquiry, Mr Essien, a retired army general, said via a text message, “One person has been released. We are seeking to get the other two out.”
He did not provide details of the incident.
He did not also provide a further response when asked if the kidnappers were demanding ransom for the release of the others who are still in captivity.
The incident
A radio talk show host, Edwin Ebiese, otherwise known as MC Governor, was among the first people to report the incident in a Facebook post.
“Three people kidnapped from ME Lounge, Osongama Estate. Again, God gave me another opportunity to live,” he wrote in the post.
Narrating the incident to PREMIUM TIMES, on Wednesday, Mr Ebiese said they were watching the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations at the lounge when gunmen invaded the place and took the three men away.
“I think 75 minutes into the match, gunmen came in and ordered everybody to go down and after they went away with three men,” he said.
“There was no security on that day,” he added when asked if there was no security at the bar which is often patronised by top politicians in the state.
“I went there to watch the ball, I don’t know the names of the people that were kidnapped but I know that the gunmen left with three people,” he further said when asked if the identities of the victims were known.
Findings by this newspaper revealed that one of the abducted persons was Abasiakan Eshiet, the chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
A chieftain of the party in the state who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to talk to journalists on the matter, told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Eshiet has been released by his abductors.
It is not clear why the three were targeted by the gunmen, but Akwa Ibom State, which is famed as one of the most peaceful states in the country, has been experiencing some security challenges lately.
The incident occurred less than a month after gunmen kidnapped a High Court judge in the state. The gunmen shot dead a police operative who was attached to the female judge.
The judge, Joy Unwana, was later freed.
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PREMIUM TIMES, Tuesday, reported that the police arrested 22 suspects over the killing of a police inspector, Usang Egbe, in Uyo.
The gunmen stormed the slain officer’s residence and fired sporadic shots to scare away residents and passersby before hacking the inspector to death with a machete.
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