WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YESTERDAY’S ARMY INVASION IN ESSIEN UDIM

People who never got to witness the Essien Udim clash are posting hijacked and fake pictures of what they feel happened.

Let me put this clear. No hoodlum has yet been arrested by security operatives in Essien Udim.

The purpose of yesterday’s invasion was to retrieve the corpses of the fallen heroes downed by the aggressors, which were left on the streets for days and that was done.

Only one air machine entered Essien Udim for surveillance purpose and there were no air strikes as paraded by some persons.

Aside from those of us who stood by Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic campus area and a few bike men who stood in some hideout to observe the happenings from a closer range, no one was able to penetrate the village to take pictures as at the time the security operatives invaded the area. As such, disregard violent pictures showing the aerial bombing of the villages in violence.

Some of those pictures were violent happenings in Oruk Anam – another local government area entirely, and one of the pictures of some guy arrested in Lagos.

One person who, having seen the situation of things, still tried his luck to get into the heated area, got a stray bullet to waste his mouth. That was the only casualty of sorts as at yesterday.

There was no bombing in Ikot Osurua. Please, I repeat, there was no bombing in Ikot Osurua and nearby communities. The Police while passing there only shot into the air. One of them shot a teargas into a nearby shop where people gathered watching them. That made people scamper for their safety.

In the meantime, the corpses of the fallen heroes downed by the aggressors have been taken after days on the streets of Essien Udim.

Disregard any information regarding bombings and shootings in Ikot Osurua. Those are lies. Ikot Osurua and nearby Communities in Ikot Ekpene are safe and calm. We hope normalcy returns to affected areas.

Hanson Uko, is a writer, Journalist, and the Publisher of NigerDelta Times, an emerging online media in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria.