Gunmen attacked fuel station, not Akpabio’s house – Police

The police in Akwa Ibom State have said a fuel station close to the house of Senator Godswill Akpabio was attacked by gunmen on Tuesday. The Police Commissioner in the state, Adeyemi Ogunyemilusi, stated this while denying allegations that the suspected gunmen attacked Akpabio’s residence. He said the shooting was the handiwork of six hoodlums […]

The police in Akwa Ibom State have said a fuel station close to the house of Senator Godswill Akpabio was attacked by gunmen on Tuesday.

The Police Commissioner in the state, Adeyemi Ogunyemilusi, stated this while denying allegations that the suspected gunmen attacked Akpabio’s residence.

He said the shooting was the handiwork of six hoodlums from the area who robbed a fuel station close by the house of Akpabio in Ukana Ikot Ntuen, Essien Udim Local Government Area.

Speaking yesterday in Uyo on the alleged attack on the senator, Ogunyemilusi, said the incidence was a gun scare about 200 meters away from the house of Akpabio and that it was not intended to disrupt the political meeting in the senator’s house that lasted till the early hours of Wednesday, August 22.

“Six hoodlums on two motorcycles invaded a fuel station near Akpabio’s house and robbed customers and the pump attendants of the day’s sales.

“It was just a mere coincidence that the incident happened at about 7:30pm on Tuesday, August 21, when a meeting was ongoing at His Excellency’s residence.

“Immediately the hoodlums attacked the fuel station, somebody at the meeting called me. The area commander and other policemen were drafted to the scene and within minutes, security was restored.

“You know how Ikot Ekpene is with these hoodlums on motorcycles. So it was just a flash incident of petty thieves robbing a fuel station near the residence of His Excellency.

“Even our quick response was applauded by His Excellency when he came out of the meeting to see our men heavily on guard around the area. So nobody should overheat the polity because of politics,” he said.

It was learnt that gunmen on motorbikes shot randomly, forcing some prominent politicians who had gathered in the country home of Senator Akpabio for a political meeting to scamper for safety.

The meeting was temporarily stopped for about an hour as security officials drafted to contain the shooting were involved in an exchange of gunshots with the hoodlums.