Barely four months after men of the DSS raided the Akwa Ibom state government house in search of what they are yet to tell the world as justification for their "lawful desecration" of the hilltop mansion, men claiming to be of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) stormed Akwa Ibom State again to the embarrassment of Akwa Ibom state government and people still.
This time around the men came like a thief in the night arriving on night of Monday 22nd February, 2016 with a search warrant that ordered them to search any discovered environment or premises owned or connected to Mr. Ime Uwah, the Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Marketing and Brand Management.
The officers, who arrived Uyo in a Toyota Hiace bus with a Lagos state registration number EY 527 KJA, were reportedly detailed to arrest the Governor’s aide over allegation by some anonymous petitioner that he owns a property where he stores ammunitions and uniforms of various armed forces which he intends to use during the rerun election in Akwa Ibom.
So they proceeded with the search through Uwah’s most popular business centre - Eni Stores and Eni Gardens, his residence and finally his farm along Akwa Ibom Airport Road and found nothing. Trouble, however, began when they refused to release the Governor’s Aide, insisting to take him to Lagos nay some unknown destination for further interrogation. But the Akwa Ibom youths in their ever vigilant nature to always fight for their own especially when they believe their cause a right one resisted the move. The alleged police officers obviously did not envisage such resistance. The people were so determined to stop the police men from Lagos from taking the Governor’s aide to anywhere outside the state that it would have resulted to violence if not for the intervention of the State Police Command through the Deputy Commissioner of Police who rushed down to arrest the situation. It was a situation where a prestigious Uyo son was allegedly abducted by unknown gunmen claiming to be men of SARS from Lagos on arrest and search operation who were in turn equally arrested by Akwa Ibom people. Upon arrival, the police boss chided the men demanding why they wanted to embarrass the state police command by embarking on such an operation without at least putting the state command in the know. That of course is standard security protocol. The local authority must always be involved even in covert operations for ground support.
Immediately, the DCP led them to the State Command Headquarters in Ikot Akpan Abia where they held meetings behind close doors and thereafter Mr. Uwah was released.
Now, there are very serious concerns regarding this incident. First, why did the search warrant, arrest order and operatives of SARS have to come from Lagos instead of Abuja being the national head quarters or Calabar being the Zonal Division over Akwa Ibom State? Assuming without conceding that the SARS being one of the fourteen sections under the Department of Criminal Investigation which is superintended by the Deputy Inspector General - Investigation can take their operation order from anywhere in the country why did they not register their mission at the state head quarters first as standard police protocol demands? As well, why did they insist on whisking the young man at such late hour to Lagos and in a private Toyota Hiace Bus not police vehicle?
These concerns are ordinary worries in the mind of every ordinary person present at the scene that night or informed of the incident thereafter.
These concerns are inexhaustible, there is even another dimension of these concerns that should disturb the Federal Government and its security agencies as they operate in Akwa Ibom State being as follows: What if the crowd's resistance had gone so awry that the so called SARS were lynched? Perhaps, that would have been the case in more volatile climes like Oro or Anang towns where the people are always happy to lay down their lives to protect their own? What would have been the explanation the Nigeria police force would give to the families of those operatives who would have lost their lives unnecessarily- "Death in active service" right? Truth is, there is more to this than meets the eye and the proportional proclivities abound.
Even more disturbing is what the Government of Akwa Ibom state is doing about all these harassments? Last time it was government house, this time it is the Governor's Aide. Who knows who will be the target next time?
This, I must say do not portend anything good for our democracy and our security in this country. Those behind this should know that the repercussions could go either or two ways. One being that the people of Akwa Ibom State may begin to lose confidence in the ability of the state government to defend them from unnecessary harassments, human right abuses and extra judiciary operations from security agencies. After all, what can one expect from a government that cannot protect itself. Not everybody will have the capacity to provoke the attention of the masses enough to drag the state police command to address their situation at the scene or thereafter. We have many cases like that already in the Awaiting Trial section at the Nigeria prisons here in Akwa Ibom state.
On the other hand, this whole menace may lead the people of Akwa Ibom to begin to see the Federal Government of Nigeria as its mortal enemy merely because they are by political vagaries an opposition state and as such are being persecuted for it. Consequently, this will leave them with no other choice than to resort to self help. And verily, no security agency can survive the hatred and lack of cooperation of a host community let alone an entire state. What this means is that, nobody in the community would dare give information to police or even report crimes against themselves to security agencies. Identifying with security agencies will become a taboo. Police investigations will become impossible and arrests will only be possible at the risk of the life of whoever is ordered to effect such arrests. Presently, before the High Court of Akwa Ibom state - court 9, Fulga- Ikot Ekpene road precisely, is a similar case where some members of a community including the village heads and clan heads are arraigned for killing and battering police officers sent to execute search and arrest warrant in their community. According to the testimony of one of the surviving police officers they (the police) tried in vain to explain to the crowd that they came in peace to do their job. Instead the crowd (which they later discovered was hi-jacked by a vicious mob known as "Nka Mkpotiok"), believed the police were hired by their neighbouring rival community to oppress them attacked the police men so mercilessly that they had no choice but to open fire at them but the shots were ineffective. Then they called for reinforcement but even the reinforcement came and backed away after a protracted gun battle with the mob who had captured one of their officers. By the time a bigger reinforcement returned the mob had dispersed and their colleague was found dead. As one of the defense counsels I cannot go beyond this on a matter that is sub-judice than citing it as a rather minuscule example of what can befall our security agencies should they persist in harassing Akwa Ibom people unnecessarily. No one here is wont to stop the police from doing their job. Nobody is encouraging mob action rather; it is common sense. The people always react when they are pushed to the wall and right now our backs are romancing the walls.
At the risk of repetition it is pertinent to re-echo the fact that there is nothing wrong in executing search and arrests but such things should be carried out in civilized manner. It is a reproach on our security agencies in the first place to carry out sting operations on unverified intelligence reports. And it is more degrading of them to do so without civility. In other countries even when a person is under strict surveillance and investigations where his property is searched and nothing is found an apology is tendered. Security service thrives on dignity and integrity. The dignity to do their job with integrity and accept their mistakes as well as the dignity to ensure that the integrity of their actions is sure. When, the police or DSS or Military or Civil Defense begin to carry out storm searches and random arrests without due authentication as to the integrity of their Intel they reduce themselves to mere rumor soldiers and nothing pretentious more. There was a time when life, in the words of Thomas Hobbes, "was a precarious scenerio, brutish and short" because men were laws for themselves until the law assumed responsibility of social engineering - a social contract that still keeps our self-help proclivities at bay. And common wisdom forbids that such times be returned.
As for Akwa Ibom state, the state government through the executive and legislature should petition the Presidency, Inspector General of Police, National Assembly and the Police Service Commission and all relevant authorities. The State Government must mob the Federal Government before it is mobbed by the people.
It is totally unacceptable that the DSS, Police, Peace Corps and other Military, Paramilitary or Security Agencies cannot enjoy our hospitality and turn around to become hostile against against us. Our nation is on the precipice of the unknown and our state cannot be the sacrificial lamb. Mr. Ime Uwah who is also referred to as the Alico Dangote of Akwa Ibom State is a young entrepreneur of Uyo descent who has possibly a thousand Akwa Ibom People under his employment and a public officer should not be exposed to such threat and no Akwa Ibom person either. This should be the last. Anything of this character again may be disastrous
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