The newspaper reports a few days ago on Akpabio’s opinion that kidnapping started in Abia made some people wince and doubted if they heard well.
This statement was made on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 on the floor of the Senate. Senator Akpabio is senate minority leader and was the governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2007 to 2015, a neighboring state to Abia. By January 2006 when MEND owned up to the first kidnapping heist, Akpabio has relocated from Lagos to his home state for his guber ambition which paid off.
As a lawyer, though not known for conquests in legal tussles or associated with Rotimi Williams or Gani Fawyehmi chambers, he is expected to know the sanctity of facts and so should not take his vituperations for granted but the opposite is the case as he has stood facts on its head, dressing Abia State in borrowed robes. He has to apologize to Abia State and MEND by removing their name from a case where they scored first in history.
For the avoidance of doubts, MEND-Movement for the Emanicipation of Niger Delta pulled off the first job when they abducted four oil expatriates and claimed responsibility in January 2006. We know too that money changed hands in the Delta area before securing their release.
That’s the truth. Senator Godswill Akpabio has immense resources and provision of aides made by NASS to carry out researches for their principals.
His present statements makes us think that there may be a score to settle or a political gain to be made.
On our side, we don’t have any reason to suspect him but wouldn’t take kindly to such shortchanging on facts.
Williams Ibebunjo, for
The Oriental Coastal Watch Organization.