Aggrieved women of Esene village, Ikpa Nnnung Assang Clan in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, in company of some youths last week led a peaceful protest over the recent cases of child theft/abduction.
Obonganwan Rose Rufus Ekanem, Ag President of ESOP Iban Esenne who led hundreds of other women who bore placards with various inscriptions first of all arrived the residence of the Chairman, Esene Town Council, Mr. Vincent Akpan who in solidarity, joined the protest to the residence of Mrs Esther Emem Essen, the prime suspect in the child theft case.
The leader of the women's group Mrs Ekanem while addressing Mr Emem Essen, (husband to the suspect) said no amount of hunger should lead anyone to sell out a child or lure anyone else into such act. and expressed their displeasure over sad incident. She asked Essen to produce his wife as the women were not interested in his pleas or aimless explanations but to ensure the missing child is recovered alive.
Responding to the women, husband to the suspect, Mr Emem Essen; a carpenter advised the women to rather hold the crime against Emem Eyo Iso, mother to the four year old master Akaninyene Musa, whom he said collaborated with his wife to sell her own child.
The group also registered their disappointment and feeling of insecurity in the hands of the police who allegedly released on bail the prime suspect who had confessed to the crime without charging the case to court.
Explaining the ordeals the village had been through in the last couple of months. The Chairman, Esenne Town Council, Mr. Vincent Akpan said it was absolutely suspicious for the police to let off the hock a criminal who had confessed to a crime, even when the four missing kids traced to her link were still missing.
In his response, the Clan Head of Ikpa Nnung Asang, Etebom Celestine Udia called on the state government and the judiciary as the last hope of the common man, to intervene and ensure that whoever was involved in releasing the culprit is taken off the case.
"Whoever is involved in releasing that woman should stay off the case an
d allow justice take its full course. I want to call on the state government, security agencies and the judiciary which is the last hope of the common man to assist us to recover those children and bring perpetrators of such act to book". He appealed.
Attempting to give a background of recent cases of child theft in the area, one of the women who said she hails from Owok Annang, recalled that a certain Ntinso Usen, a Lagos based daughter of the community visited the area in April, splashing cash and drinks at every corner of the community. According to her, before returning to Lagos, she took two young men, Mr Cyril Ignitius Ekong (A.K.A Kufre Akaninyene Ekpe) and Blessing Archibong Charlie (A.K.A. Udo) from the community with her to Lagos
Our soure who pleaded anonymity, revealed that On the 7th of May 2017, Ekong, one of the youth taken to Lagos by Miss Usen, allegedly cajoled a 13 year old David Simeon Akiki to bring along with him, two other kids.
Akiki is said to have brought with himself masters Ekemini Aniefiok Richard and Abasifreke Aniefiok Richard, ages Six and three. On getting to him, Ekong, allegedly conveyed the three kids on a motor bike and on getting to Papa junction, Esene, Ikot Abasi, all three kids were dragged into a black jeep that hurriedly zoomed off.
The manner in which the kids were dragged into the waiting car aroused some level of suspicion, the cyclist, popularly known as Ete Uyo who conveyed all four from take up point, rushed back to the village to raise alarm and every effort to recover the three kids has remained unsuccessful till date.
On June 11th, another member of same child theft syndicate, Mrs Esther Emem Essen convinced one Emem Eyo Iso to hand over her four year old son, Akaninyene Musa to a family that would take better care of the child.
Both Essen and Iso were said to have traveled from Ikot Abasi to Eleme Junction in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where little Akaninyene was handed over to Blessing Archibong Charlie, one of the young men who was taken to Lagos by Ntinso Usen, with Usen in front of the black jeep where the baby was taken into, an envelop containing the sum of N300,000 was handed over to Essen who later gave the sum of N10,000 to the child's mother.
However, on getting back home, the child's mother who claimed to have been hypnotized raised alarm over her missing child, reported the matter to the Chairman, Essene Town Council, who intimated the police and had Esther Emem Essen arrested and the sum of N300,000 recovered and handed over to the police through the suspect's husband, Mr Emem Essen.
The community's consternation and protest however resulted from seeing Esther Emem Essen who was arrested and had confessed to the crime, walk the street free, while Emem Eyo Iso, mother to the missing child remain in detention. Many of the visibly angry women suspect the police has been bribed to look the other way, while the prime suspect walk free.
When contacted, the Akwa Ibom State Police Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Chukwu Ikechukwu said the matter had been charged to court and such bail must have been granted through the court.
The O/C Family Unit, Supol Shulammite Otokpa who was also contacted on the issue disclosed that her team had been on the trail of the main culprit (Ntinso Usen) to the point of traveling to her residence in Lagos even at great personal cost without any success.
She explained that the matter has been reported to the Lagos state's command of the Nigeria Police Force who are also on the trail of Usen to ensure that the children are recovered and reunited with their families.
Otokpa who regretted that her unit is underfunded, despite the sensitive responsibilities it is saddled with, however assured that she would not keep such matters beyond 48 hours before charging such to court. She therefore assured members of Essene community that justice will take its full course.
Though the police averred that the prime suspect (Mrs. Esther Emem Essen) was charged to court before she was released on bail, there was no document to back the claim, since the only document made available was a remand order with charge No: Mop/27c/2017, dated July 6th 2017, that only indicated that Emem Eyo Iso, the child's mother was arraigned before a Magistrate's Court of Ikot Abasi Magisterial District, 'for conspiracy to wit selling of child pun. sec. 522 cc & contrary to sec31(1) pen. sec31 (b) of child Right Law of A.I State" and that the case has been adjourned to 16th August, 2017.
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