Woman brutalised by suspected political thugs in C’River

A middle-aged woman identified as Mrs Owor Owui was brutalized yesterday by men suspected to be political thugs when she visited Nsofang Community in Etung LGA of Cross River State.

Findings indicated that she was one of the many people that fled the community over alleged political persecution following the governorship and state House of Assembly elections of 18 March 2023.

A good number of indigenes decided to leave Nsofang Community to Ikom town in Ikom LGA for safety allegedly due to the incessant brutality meted out by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to those holding opposite views.

The development reached a tipping point when some members of the community cast their votes for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Prince Bassey Otu, instead of Prof Sandy Onor, an indigene, who was the PDP governorship candidate.

Owui had decided to visit Nsofang from Ikom where she has been hiding for safety but was manhandled by suspected thugs.

Two days earlier, two other members of the community, Ndifon Erim and Roland Ekuri were also reportedly attacked similarly.

A chieftain of the community, Mr Mbang, confirmed that many of them now stay away from Nsofang and only visit stealthily.

“We have been driven away from our ancestral homes. We are 40 presently in Ikom and elsewhere. We secretly enter Nsofang to pick some items. We’re not finding this funny and comfortable at all. Our lives are in danger. We call on the security agencies to help us,” he said.

Former Commissioner for Information in the state, Asu Okang, however, described the allegations that his party is responsible for the attack as blatant lies.

He said: “Such are barefaced lies, treachery and blackmail that are to be expected at this time of alignments and realignments as elections are now over.

“These allegations are peddled by people who are looking for relevance, and to score cheap political points.

“Cross River is our collective business. So why should we unleash violence and ostracise people from their ancestral homes?”

Former presidential aide, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla called on the state government not to continue to turn a blind eye to incessant political thuggery against hapless citizens for holding different views.

“The Government of Cross River State and law enforcement agencies must wake up and be alive to their responsibility of safeguarding the fundamental and constitutional rights of the hapless citizens. The political intolerance in Nsofang has reached its crescendo,” he said.