Over 30 innocent youths were bath with substance believed to be acid by a man identified as Oko Ogbudu on Monday, 30 December, 2019 in Igbeku-Orekor under Ugaga Ward of Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State.
According to an eyewitness who pleaded anonymity, Ogbudu carried out the heinous act in protest of his son who was allegedly held by security operatives for possession of arm and other dangerous weapons to cause havocs in an annual picnic at the popular Aya (Ocean) in Ugaga community.
He said, “The man from Igbekurikor who caused untold pain to peaceful Ugaga sons and daughters with acid substance yesterday should simply be identified, handed to elders and be bath with same substance before handing him over to the authorities.
“What happened was that the man’s son had a day before an annual Picnic at the popular Aya (Ocean) in Ugaga attempted to go to the venue with dangerous weapons, but was intercepted by local security personnel with a local pistol and a knife. His intention was to go ahead of the day of the picnic to plant the weapons for a planned attack on fun seekers.
“As the custom was, security is always mounted days ahead of the picnic at strategic locations ahead of the annual event to forestall any breach of security.
“On the day of the picnic he was again intercepted with weapons by the same security, now at another location and he was identified as the guy they caught the previous day with weapons which were seized from him. This time around he was carrying a small gun and a charm, they decided to kneel him down to interrogate him.
“While under interrogation, his younger sister sighted him and drew the attention of her dad who left what he was doing and ran to the place at Ochubi Ugaga. But without asking questions he started splashing the substance in a bottle of beer on those at the scene.
“And suddenly those the substance touched started feeling the effect of the substance resulting in shouting and wailing and reeling in pains before sympathisers started rushing the victims to nearby hospital.
Some of the victims
“Over 30 were affected in the near-terrorist incidence. Already one of the victim has gone blind as a result of the brutal impact of the substance as I speak to you”.
The eyewitness said that the man’s action against the people of Ugaga had political undertone stressing that his own community had been agitating for a councilorship slot at the local government level but they are yet to be giving the opportunity.
“The man has been one bad egg in the community terrorising the Ugaga people for reasons best known to him. His action has awoken a long time animosity. The people of Oke or Igbeku-Orekor are a unit community under Ugaga Ward, who have been agitating for councilorship slot since but they have never been fortunate to get any of such slot. Youths of the community have staged several protests demanding for the councilorship slot to be zoned to them in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice.
“Report reaching me now says about 14 victims may go blind with the degree of damage caused by the effect of the substance.
“May God have mercy”!
It was gathered that the action, which angered the youths of the community, would have resulted in bloody attacks but for the timely intervention of the elders of the both communities and the Hon Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Hon Stella Odey. Though the situation at the moment is under control, but families of the affected victims are left to cater for their relatives.
