Akwa Ibom State Government over the weekend announced that its has evacuated 34 of its indigenes from the Kaduna State.
The evacuation follows the rising cases of insurgency and banditry in some parts of the State.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr Ini Adiakpan, who disclosed this while receiving the returnees over the weekend explained that the state government was moved to intervene following a disturbing viral video on social media on how its Indigenes were crying for help after their sources of livelihood were destroyed by bandits.
Speaking, the President of Akwa Ibom Community in Katsina, and a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, Federal College of Education, Katsina State, Chief Effiom Williams, said he got distress calls from members that their houses and shops were burnt adding that he quickly mobilised them into safety in his house.
He said, “when some of them arrived, they had nothing left because they had lost everything to the crises, so the Community had to raise money in order to get them clothes and other effects. We later reached out to the state government for assistance. We are very happy that the Governor has intervened.”
Also speaking, Elizabeth Emmanuel, a returnee, who hails from Ikono LGA but resided in Jibia LGA in Katsina, said her shop and home were razed down by the arsonists, who attacked their community at night, killing several people in their sleep.
“We got back home and started hearing loud shooting at night, and we all started running for our dear lives. All I could take out from our house are my children and a few clothes. Luckily for us, we were escorted to the IDP camp by soldiers.”
She narrated that they were, however, linked to the President of the Akwa Ibom Community in Katsina by a fellow Akwa Ibomite in the camp.