Etim Effiong
Members of two government owned security groups suspected to be cultists engaged one another in a free-for-all, disrupting the People’s Democratic Party secretariat inauguration in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The affray was said to have generated tension within the area as residents were said to have scampered to safety.
It was learnt that trouble began when Governor Udom Emmanuel’s entourage arrived at the PDP secretariat with the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus.
A resident in the area, who identified himself simply as Isaac, told our correspondent on Monday that when the gate of the party’s house was opened for the governor and his visitors, a group of heavily-built young men identified as “Body_Body” forced their way into the venue of the event in defiance of the government security team known as “Only God.”
He said a fight ensued as the ‘Only God’ group owned by the state government tried to send the “Body _ Body group out of the arena, while the rival group gave some blows to one of the ‘Only God’ gang members injuring him as blood oozed out of his cheek.
According to him, ‘Only God group,’ annoyed by the public embarrassment the ‘Body_Body’, retreated and regrouped for a reprisal attack at the end of the commissioning inauguration.
He added that the government protocol team, which got wind of the confusion, immediately arranged for the evacuation of the ‘Only God’ security team, leaving other guests and journalists from Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists to scamper to safety. He said, “Other guests at the ceremony, who earlier sensed the danger, left after the tape into the building was cut while the governor and his visitors were being taken around the interior of the secretariat.
“Before 2019 general elections, Akwa Ibom State Government had proscribed some cult groups in the state, a situation, where the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Barr. Uwemedimo Nwoko, confessed to newsmen that the action of the governor generated ripples among prominent politicians in the state.
“Nwoko said some of the politicians have approached Emmanuel requesting him to rescind the proscription order as some of the cultists could be useful to the governor during the 2019 elections. But the governor in response denounced any victory that may come from effort of cultists.”
Isaac stated that in March 2020, the state government repealed the 2018 Anti-Cultism law, titled, “Cultism and Other Violence Prohibition Order,” adding that the new law identified and proscribed 51 cult groups.
He said, “Last Saturday’s fight for supremacy between two seemingly private security outfits, strongly suspected to be cult groups and one working closely with government, appears to have painted a picture of compromise of the law on the part of the state government and other key government functionaries in the state.
Checks by our correspondent revealed that these two groups are not among the list of registered private security companies in Nigeria, though they have always provided security at every function organised by the Akwa Ibom State government.
It was also gathered that concerned persons in the state have alleged that members of the two unofficial security outfits were those the government in power used during elections, and were mostly known cultists, criminals and so-called repentant militants.
Their presence is always notable during the Akwa Ibom State Christmas Choral event and other ceremonies.
State Commandant of the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, which has the statutory responsibility to register private security outfits, Mr. Samuel Fadeyi, told journalists that he is not sure of the registration of the groups and promised to give an answer on Monday.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, retired Captain Iniobong Ekong, said he was on an official assignment in Abuja.
Ekong asked to be given time to make calls to Uyo, and promised to call our correspondent back, but had not done so as at the time of filing this report.
The ‘Only God’ group seemed to enjoy the patronage of the state government and was the one that mounted guards at the gate into the secretariat, checking invitations among others, while men of the Nigeria Police Force were just watching.
Led by Mr. Felix Ekuri, who was identified as an aide to Emmanuel and PDP Youth Mobiliser in the state, the ‘Only God’ boys refused entry to journalists that were duly accredited by the PDP secretariat and issued with press tags, insisting that the newsmen must produce their own invitation (the group’s invitation) or no entry.