The less affected part of Nsikak Edouk Avenue, Uyo in the night of Tuesday, 21 Oct, 2014. At the right hand side of the road, you can see two police trucks. |
By Effiong Ekong, Uyo
The rally in Uyo today by Udom Emmanuel, former secretary to
Akwa Ibom State government, to signal his declaration of intent to contest the
governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party has snowballed into a
bloody riot. As we report, the riot, staged by rented crowds hired to give the
declaration a semblance of significance, is spreading along Nsikak Eduok Avenue
axis of the city where Udom’s campaign office is located.
The disaffected crowds, made up mostly of women and youths,
are said to have gone berserk when people who brought them to the rally on a
promise of attendance fee, abandoned them at the end of the rally. The rented crowd
then pelted Udom’s campaign officials with bottles and other missiles.
They also ransacked Udom’s campaign office, setting it on
fire. A large a number of vehicles has been vandalised. It was a running battle
between the police who fired, apparently into the air to scare off the
rampaging mob, who were shouting, as they retreated, “Give us our money; Udom
is wrong,” in reference to the campaign slogan, “Udom is right.”
Each member of the rented crowd was promised N2000
appearance fee, in addition to transport to and fro the rally, according to
sources close to those organisers of the ill-fated jamboree. Police have
cordoned off Udom Emmanuel’s office to prevent more damage.
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