Police arrest council boss, 3 others over secretary’s murder

The transition committee chairman of Ukanafun local government area of Akwa Ibom state, Mr. Abasiono Udomfu, has been arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in the murder of the council’s secretary.

Mr. Ime Atakpa was murdered by unidentified gunmen on Sunday April 16, 2017 at his farm, an integrated farming scheme close to his residence.

Udomfu was arrested along with his personal aide, Mr. Akaninyere Ibout, and two others over the matter.
The deceased secretary was among the caretaker committee members for Ukanafun local government area sworn-in by the state governor, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel.

He was, however, not allowed to assume duty by the current chairman until his assassination that fateful day.

The chairman’s personal aide, Ibout, was picked up Wednesday last week shortly after the visit of the wife of the Akwa Ibom state governor, Mrs. Martha Emmanuel, who visited the council to inaugurate a building project for widows on Tuesday.

A sister to the wife of the deceased, who preferred not to named, said in Uyo on Sunday that Udomfu, had told the police Intelligence investigating the matter that he was innocent insisting “God knows that my hands are clean concerning the murder of the LG secretary.”

His aide, Ibout, it was gathered, also confessed his innocence saying his hands were clean.

But the police intelligence investigating the matter arrested Ibout on Wednesday who also implicated his boss.

It was gathered that Ibout implicated his boss and two others for their involvement in the alleged murder of the council secretary.

Our correspondent gathered that the council boss had made attempts to bribe the policemen that arrested him, asking them not to disgrace him.

The two other people were said to have been arrested in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital. They were said to have confessed to the police that Udomfu gave them N300,000 to kill the LG secretary.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Chukwu Ikechukwu, who confirmed the arrest, explained that all the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.

He said, “the matter is still under investigation and as soon as it concluded the matter will be charged to court.”