Youth leader accuse DSS, police of unlawful detention in A/Ibom

National President of Itu Youths Development Forum in Akwa Ibom state, Obong Ubong Akpan has said that he spent a total of 15 days in Department of State Services (DSS) and police cells for leading a peaceful protest to demand improved electricity supply in his community.

Akpan, who made the disclosure while fielding questions from newsmen on his arrest, explained that he spent six days in DSS cell and was later transferred to the state CID, where he spent another nine days.

He disclosed that he was arrested a day after the youths of Itu Local Government Area comprising of 79 villages protested to the office of the Port Harcourt Distribution Company (PHEDC) and barricaded the Afaha Ube power sub-station over failure of the company to keep to the agreement with the community on improved power supply.

The youth leader said that he was released from detention on August 15.

However, a youth of the community, area who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “we learned that a political leader in our community personally picked him up and handed him over to the DSS without the knowledge of his immediate family and even members of the youth group.

“It was even speculated in some quarters at the weekend that the state Governor, Udom Emmanuel had ordered the police to release him following the angry reactions and controversy his arrest and detention was already generating in the state.”

But, in a swift reaction, the PHEDC in a statement yesterday signed by the Manager, Corporate Communications, John Onyi blamed the youth forum for the forced power outage.

He accused the detained youth leader of instigating the protest to achieve his personal demand from the company which the company had refused to grant him.

“The forced outage is sequel to the action of the Youth Development Forum under the leadership of Obong Ubong Akpan, who early this morning barricaded the transmission station, located at Itu close to the state capital, thereby forcing the station to shut down supply forcefully.

“In addition, the same group later moved to PHED office at 4- Lane with a coffin, a show of shame championed by its leader, dropped the said coffin at the entrance of the office, scared customers away and thereby leading to operations blockade of the company.

“PHED cannot be intimidated or coerced into doing the biddings of a self-acclaimed-messiah as we have the mandate of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to distribute power supply to our customers including Itu community in our franchise area.

“We therefore, call on the relevant government functionaries, especially the security agencies to step in and advised Ubong Akpan and his group to vacate the premises of the TCN and remove their coffin from PHED’s office in Uyo with a view to wheeling out supply to PHED customers,” the statement added.