Akwa Ibom State is now a killing field where human life is wasted randomly in an on going violent upsurge. People may want to be simplistic by blaming the carnage on cultists and criminal gangs. But we all know the bitter truth. The killing culture has not always been part of the State.
It gained currency when a vicious character called Godswill Akpabio became the governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2007 and assumed crescendo during his re-election period. It was during that bloody regime that political assassination, kidnapping, forced disappearance, torture and arbitrary arrest became government business.
Those who have made up their minds to die in deceit and hypocrisy should continue. The boys who are killing people have godfathers in government that they depend on for "security coverage".
Governor Udom Emmanuel is playing to the gallery by purporting to proscribe cult groups in the State. It is pure waste of time. If the governor is sincere, let him look into the genesis of the killings and those behind the numerous cult groups in the State.
Udom Emmanuel is a beneficiary of the culture of violence in Akwa Ibom State. His emergence in 2015 was made possible largely because of violence and killings.
Many past and present political office holders in Akwa Ibom State today are believed to belong to different cult groups. The boys are just being stigmatized as scapegoats. I do not believe that Udom Emmanuel is against cultism in the state.
Many people believe that cultism is an arm of the state government. It is also a popular belief that belonging to a cult group is a requirement for holding certain political positions in Akwa Ibom State. This belief was particularly popular during Akpabio's regime. The current government is deceiving itself.
Until we have answers to all the many documented cases of assassination and kidnapping that took place in Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2015, there will never be enduring peace in the state.
If the present Commissioner of Police is truly committed to ending the cycle of violence in Akwa Ibom, let him call for the files of the past cases and do justice to them. Until then, whatever he is doing is window dressing.
