Judul : Local council chairman, groups counter police, say village head reported rifle before his arrest
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Local council chairman, groups counter police, say village head reported rifle before his arrest
The incident happened in Akwa Ibom, and the village head's arrest was widely reported in the media.
Fresh accounts have challenged the police's claim that a village head in Akwa Ibom was arrested following a tip-off, with a local government council chairman and rights groups insisting he had earlier reported the rifle and was waiting for the police to retrieve it.
The police command in Akwa Ibom had announced on 25 March the arrest of Edet Okon, village head of Asiak Obufa in Effiat community, Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, over alleged illegal possession of an AK-47 rifle.
Timfon John, the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, stated in a statement that operatives acted on a tip-off, thereby making it appear as though the village was unlawfully armed.
She added that the arrest aimed to determine the source of the weapon and any possible accomplices.
Different account emerge
Two rights groups, Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community and COMPPART Foundation, said local youths recovered the firearm and handed it to the village head, who promptly notified local authorities.
According to the coalition's joint statement signed by Clifford Thomas and Saviour Akpan, the weapon was found in a bush on 15 March, weeks after security forces repelled suspected pirates and armed groups in the Efiat/Unyenge axis of the local government area.
They said the village head escalated the matter through appropriate channels, including the local government council chairman and the governor's aide on marine security, and was awaiting official collection of the rifle when he was arrested.
"It would have been unreasonable for him to transport the weapon himself. He relied on lawful authorities to retrieve it," the groups said, describing the police action as premature and capable of creating "an impression of guilt."
Council chairman backs village head
The Chairman of Mbo Local Government Council, Sunday Etim, when reached by PREMIUM TIMES, corroborated the coalition's account, saying he facilitated efforts to hand over the firearm to security agencies.
"When the village head called me, I immediately informed the authorities--the police and the DSS. I mobilised a speedboat. The man was waiting for them," he said.
Mr Etim explained that the initial retrieval effort stalled after the police demanded additional logistics, including fuel and marine backup, which delayed the operation.
He said further attempts were made to involve the Nigerian Navy, but contact with the village head could not be established at the time.
"On 24 March, I received a call from my DPO (Divisional Police Officer) that they were about to go to the village to retrieve the gun.
"I told them that I had called the village head on Monday and again on Tuesday morning, but the number wasn't connecting. That was when my DPO told me that he had arrested him.
"I was surprised. How can you arrest him without informing me?" he said, adding that the DPO later told him the suspect was detained to aid recovery of the weapon and would be released afterward.
The chairman expressed concern over how the matter was publicly presented.
He also disclosed that youths in the community had planned a protest over the incident, but he persuaded them to remain calm pending the outcome of the investigations.
"I must state clearly that I have never ordered the arrest of the man," he added.
Police maintain position
The police have yet to address the discrepancies in the timeline of events leading to the village head's arrest.
PREMIUM TIMES sought clarification through a media enquiry to the police in Akwa Ibom State, asking whether it was aware the firearm had been reported before the arrest and what safeguards are in place to ensure due process.
Responding to the enquiry, the police spokesperson in the state, Ms John, only said that the command recovered the rifle from the village head and that "investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances of his possession."
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