
Suspected militants and pirates, last week, in Akwa Ibom State, abducted several market women, whisked them to their hideouts in the creeks, where they forced them at gunpoint to take their clothes off, defiled and took several pictures of their womanhood with their phones.
NDV learned that the women from different communities in the state and neighbouring Cross River State were returning from Nwaniba community market in Uruan local government of the state when over 10 masked men ambushed the two speedboats separately conveying them, commandeered them to their camp.
They dispossessed them of their money and other valuables in the den before humiliating them.
Reports said the women were heartlessly beaten and sexually abused by the gangsters, who inflicted machete cuts on the women that refused to succumb to their inordinate sexual desire.
No official complaint yet— Police
The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Chukwu Ikechukwu, said: “Failure of the community to file the matter with the Police in the area was hampering investigation and action on the problem.”
We were sexually abused —Mrs. John
One of the victims, Mrs. Christiana Sunday John, who spoke through an interpreter, lamented amid tears: “We were badly treated, our womanhood was abused. I joined the second speed boat going back home when midway into our journey; another speed boat from nowhere blocked us.
“At the camp, they forced us to pull-off, we were forced to pull everything to the pant and they asked at gunpoint to expose our private parts while they took several shots with their camera phones,” she asserted.
Market shut down
Chairman, Nwaniba Village Council, Elder Samuel Jeo, who confirmed the incident to NDV, said the saddest thing was that mothers and wives of our men were forced to dance nude while they were being filmed, adding: “This is the most embarrassing criminal operation in Nwaniba. We built that market with community effort, now militants have closed down the market.
“No customer would want to come here and risk his or her life. The market was built two years ago, now we cannot generate revenue because of the effect of militancy and pirates who are terrorizing the area on a daily basis,” he stated.


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