Lawyer Seeks Buhari’s Intervention on security situation in Akwa Ibom

An Abuja based Human Rights lawyer, Leo Ekpenyong has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the security situation in Akwa Ibom state.

The activist said there was urgent need to address the situation before it escalated.

Ekpenyong was reacting to an alleged attack on the country home of Senator Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, in a statement in Abuja.

He said the level of insecurity in the state was becoming worrisome, and showed failure on the part of the state governor.

According to him, with the humongous security votes accruing to the state government, there is no excuse for the worsening security situation, which he said has degenerated.

He said the incessant attacks showed the failure of governance by the state government, and called on the governor, Emmanuel Udom to immediately resign or be voted out of office in 2019.

The statement reads: “The fundamental responsibility of any government is the protection of the lives of its citizens. When this is not guaranteed, when security votes accruable to the state cannot be justified, then there is no need to allow such a government to continue.

“Where a public servant, a leader who holds an office in trust for the people fails in the discharge of his responsibilities, the right thing to do is to bid him farewell.

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“We cannot continue to lose lives and properties in scores, in large numbers without any remedial measures on the part of government to check these anomalies.

He expressed concerns that the situation might be taking a political twist, following the recent defection of senator Akpabio to the All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that the state government should be held responsible should anything happen to the former senate minority leader.

“The recent attack on the country home of Senator Godswill Akpabio leaves so much to be desired. The security situation in the last two years has gone from bad to worse.

“It’s a clear signal that there is need for urgent federal government intervention. The governor of the state, being the chief security officer of the state has failed in the maintenance of law, order and protection of lives and properties.

“It is on this note that we call on Mr. President to wade into the security breaches in Akwa Ibom state with a view to ensuring safety of lives and properties, until normalcy returns,” the statement said.

While urging the youths to eschew violence, Ekpenyong said the people cannot resolve to self-help, but have resolved to follow the constitutional process of calling on the federal government to take drastic action to avoid recurrence of the attacks.

“We call for peace and calm among the indigenes of the state. Some of the youths are worried with political hostilities that are budding in Akwa Ibom.

“We call on the youths to eschew all forms of violence and to resist the temptation to be used by desperate politicians to be used as agents of violence,” the statement added.

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