Students of Ambrose Alli University and indigenes of Ekpoma have in the last three days taken to the streets in the university community to protest unprecedented invasion by criminals of Fulani extraction, who have been kidnapping students and indigenes with ease.
According to reports reaching newsfieldglobal, the once peaceful agrarian and small scale business community has become a shadow of itself as the kidnappers have taken over and making life miserable for everyone even as men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force look the other way.
Sources in the community said, in the last three weeks, the situation had become increasingly unbearable as the daring bandits even at times take their victims right on their beds while asleep.
Attempt by the students to protest against the development when it started was said not to have gone down well with the state government, which subsequently warned them to desist from the demonstration or face disciplinary action.
However, the situation intensified over the weekend as the students and members of the community came out to the market square to block major roads, set bonfires and disrupted traffic flow, leading to the closure of the university by the authorities.
In one of the videos sighted by our correspondent, the protesters were seen at the palace of the Onogie of Ekpoma where the traditional ruler attempted to pacify them to no avail.
In an interview with one of the natives, he said the situation had become hopeless as most of the communities and the traditional rulers have become mute as they have been collecting cow gifts from the Fulani herders, thereby making it difficult for them to chase the criminals out of the villages.
According to him, even as recently as December during the festive period, the herders gave cows as gifts to some of the landlords and the traditional rulers.
He said: “As far as we are concerned we are on our own. The traditional rulers and other community leaders are benefitting largely from the crime.
“It is no longer news that the crimes are being perpetrated by the Hausa and Fulani as well as a few criminally minded indigenes, who volunteer information as to people’s movement and status to the kidnappers.
“Also very bad is the fact that the police are not even pretending not to be concerned. They are not doing anything serious to contain the issue. Even when you arrest any of the criminals, take them to the police station, in less than 24 hours you will see them again, and you begin to become scared of your life.
“Right now, we just don’t know what to do; even the state government is more busy with politics than the security of the people.
“To say we want to plead with the government to come to our aid is none of it because those in government are neither deaf nor blind. They have been hearing our cries but just decide not to do anything.”
As at the time of this report yesterday, it was rumored that while the protest was on, another victim was taken from Ojo Street in Ihumudumu into the bush by the bandits, who were said to have boasted a few days earlier that they were invading Ekpoma and that the indigenes should be prepared for them.
“They actually came and are making good their threats,” said Mr. Patrick Odey, a resident in the community.
