It was gathered that the team known as X-Squad which arrived Uyo yesterday is being led by a senior Police chief, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr. Yusuf Abdullahi.
Unknown gunmen had allegedly shot severally into Ekere’s bedroom at his Ewet Housing home in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, soon after he was declared winner of the September 30, 2018, All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Akwa Ibom.
With several condemnations trailing the attack, which was seen as politically motivated, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Network Advancement Programme for Poverty and Disaster Risk Reduction (NAPPDRR) in Niger Delta, had to petition the IGP, demanding full investigation to unravel the truth of the matter.
The NGO, an organization committed to good governance, peace building, conflict prevention, management and resolution in Niger Delta region, said it has to take the action “in the interest of peace, development and good governance in the state”.
Speaking in an interview at the Akwa Ibom Police headquarters, Ikot Akpanabia, the National President of the association, Hon. Al Mustapha Emem Edoho, said, “We have the mandate to impress it on the authorities to act in order to protect lives and property of our citizens.”
He warned youths against being used by desperate politicians to foment trouble ahead of the 2019 polls, explaining that, ” the NGO was not sponsored by any politician or political party to petition the Police as insinuated.
“We are an independent organization working to compel authorities to protect the fundamental rights of every citizen when they are seen to be violated. We will never be bribed to take sides in any issue, but when the rights of the people are trampled upon, we must come in to save the situation from getting out of hand”, he stressed.
He charged the investigating team to “do a thorough job”, disclosing that, “the leader of the investigating team has assured that he would leave no stone unturned in the process of getting at the truth.”
“He has assured me that he was not going to compromise in his investigation because he is not answerable to anybody except the IGP that ordered them, so no pressure from anywhere. I believe no one will dissuade them from coming out with the truth to serve as deterrent to others who may wish to be used to cause mayhem during the elections”, he stressed.
