Traditional ruler abducted in A/Ibom

(NAN)Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday abducted Chief Daniel Afia, the Village Head of Iwuoachang community in Ibeno Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom.

Ibeno community hosts Mobil Producing Nigeria’s Qua Iboe oil export terminal and the Qua Iboe oil fields.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the kidnappers struck a few minutes after midnight and abducted the traditional ruler at gun point and took him to an unknown destination.

The people who witnessed the incident at the traditional ruler’s compound told NAN that the kidnappers were eight in number and took away the chief through the Atlantic coastline.

The hoodlums, according to the sources, came in two speed boats; one carried the abducted chief and  the second one served as a back up.

When contacted, the  Commissioner of Police, Mr Solomon Arase confirmed the incident by phone.

“The Divisional Police Officer in Ibeno briefed me on the kidnap of the traditional ruler, but I have asked him to furnish me with  the details.

“ The victim was said to have held meetings with some people till late night before he was abducted” .

NAN further gathered that Afia, who is the Coordinator of Chiefs in Ibeno, has been deliberating with segments of the community on the N600 million share of the oil spill palliative funds from Mobil to its host communities in the past weeks.

The N2 billion oil spill palliative fund recently released by Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) has triggered discontent in Ibeno, Onna, Eket and Esit Eket all of which are oil bearing communities in Akwa Ibom.

NAN leaarnt that Mobil insisted that the fund was for community development projects to be executed by its contractors but  the people preferred cash  being paid  to the oil spill victims.