One person shot dead in Akwa Ibom in gang attack

One person was shot dead at a local bar on Tuesday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, during a gang attack.

The incident happened around 9 a.m. at a popular bar in Ifa Ikot Okpon, by the new ring road, Uyo, residents told PREMIUM TIMES.

A resident who did not want his name mentioned in the report said the incident was a clash between two rival cult groups.

He said some seven armed men belonging to a cult group had visited the bar to attack a man said to be a cousin to the bar owner.

“When the bar owner saw them, he ran inside and told his cousin that they were coming to attack him. He (the bar owner) called the police on the phone.

“When the police team arrived, he informed them that the gang were hiding inside a nearby estate. While the police team drove to the estate, the gang members came from another direction and moved towards the bar.

“The shop owner went into a room, brought out a gun and shot dead one of the gang members. Others ran away,” the resident narrated.

The bar looked deserted when our reporter visited it in the afternoon.

Later in the afternoon, some young men were seen on motorcycles, brandishing guns and other weapons, riding towards Urua Udofia Street, still in Ifa Ikot Okpon Community, where they reportedly shot someone dead.

The second killing appears to be related to the incident at the bar, another resident said.

When contacted, the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, Timfon John, confirmed the killing at the bar but said the incident was a robbery attack.

“It was a robbery case where the gang went into a bar to rob people. In the course of the shooting, they shot one of their members,” said Ms John, an assistant superintendent of police.

She said the police were investigating the incident when asked if there was any arrest.

Our reporter also asked the spokesperson about the second killing. “For now, that is the information at our disposal,” she denied it.