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Exxon-Mobil head office in Lagos

72 hours to expiration of ultimatum to ExxonMobil: Three suspected militants arrested in Akwa Ibom

Exxon-Mobil head office in Lagos
Exxon-Mobil head office in Lagos
Some of the arrested suspects
Some of the arrested suspects
One of the suspects
One of the suspects
The alleged weapons
The alleged weapons
Dennis Udoma, Uyo

At least three persons suspected to be militants have been arrested in Akwa Ibom State..

The suspects, whose names were given as Nelson Seiyefa, 32 from Bayelsa State, Victor Emmanuel Williams from Etinan and Nseobong Dickson, 38 from Eket, Akwa Ibom State, were arrested by the Police on Thursday, August 18, 2016 at Modern City Hotel, Ikot Udoma in Eket.

This is coming barely 72 hours to the expiration of a 7-day ultimatum that a new group of Niger-Delta militants, “Oyobio-Oyobio” gave to Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, and other oil companies in the state to relocate their headquarters to the state or face dire consequences.

Earlier in the week, precisely Tuesday, over 200 ex-Niger Delta agitators clashed with security forces at Government House in Uyo, when their bid to see Governor Udom Emmanuel to demand payment of house allowances and stipends from 2011 failed.

According to the Police, items recovered from the arrested persons include; two high-powered Improvised Explosives Devices (IED) at 60/80.5cm and 44.55cm respectively.
Also, one long single high-powered launcher bomb measured at 78,4.55cm capable of blowing oil and gas facilities.

Akwa Ibom State Police Commissioner, Mr. Murtala Mani who spoke through his Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Cordelia Nwawe, while parading the suspects at the Police headquarters at Ikot Akpan Abia in Uyo, explained that, they were intercepted while planning to vandalize oil pipelines in the state. The weapons which they allegedly intended to use for the attack were recovered from them.

“Akwa Ibom Police Command has been able to intercept a group of three young suspected militants who were actually planning to vandalize oil pipelines in the State.

“The Command has been able to uncover from them two high-powered IEDs measured at 60/80.5cm,44.55cm respectively. One long single high-powered launcher measured at 78, 4.55cm, capable of destroying gas pipelines”, she said.

The suspects during interrogation denied all the allegations saying that, they were innocent and not criminals.

One of the suspects, Nelson Seiyefa from Bayelsa State who was begging that, he was not a criminal said, he came to Eket to meet his fiancée, the lady he was planning to marry and decided to pass the night in the hotel, when he was arrested by the police.

“I am not a criminal. I came to Eket to see my friend that I want to marry and decided to stay in the hotel. I didn’t come to Eket with any ammunition, God help me”.

Another suspect, Victor Emmanuel Williams from Etinan who also denied knowledge of other accomplices said, he came to see one Pastor Utibe who was lodging in the hotel and that, since it was late to go home, the Pastor advised him to stay back when he was picked up by the Police.

Same thing was the fate of Nseobong Dick from Eket, who maintained that he went to the hotel to watch football and later decided to pass the night in the hotel with a girl friend when the incident happened insisting that, he had no hint of a planned attack on any facility in the state.

The police command, in a related development paraded a gang of young men from Ini Local Government Area, who specializes in stealing motor-cycles.
According to the PPRO, the group uses voodoo at night to torment their victims to sleep as they like, while they cart away their motorcycles adding that, the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), has also arrested another armed robbery gang in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of the state that go about stealing electricity transformers.

She said that, the transformers have been recovered and would soon be delivered to the respective communities.

Nwawe, while describing criminal acts as unacceptable noted that, the Police command is very pro-active and always ready to tract down or stop any criminality, warning those who do not have genuine business in the state to steer clear of Akwa Ibom state.

About Global Patriot Staff

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