Hoodlums on looting spree in Uyo:
As tensions continue to build in Akwa Ibom State following the recent breakdown of law and order in Uyo, hoodlums have reportedly went on rampage, moving from street to street, looting and destroying both public and private properties in the metroplis.
This happened after hoodlums had infiltrated the EndSARS protest which has been going on peacefully in the state and wreaked havoc on people’s property before government deployed police and soldiers to restore law and order in the city on Thursday evening.
Morenews.ng gathered from good authorities that the hoodlums had looted so many shops on Thursday night at Ibom Plaza, Barracks Road, Ikot Ekpene Road, Aka Road and some parts of Oron Road, carting away different kinds of items such as mobile phones, clothings, computers, electronic gadgets ang provisions.
Eye-witnesses told Morenews.ng that there was massive looting of items at the De Choice Mall located at Ibom Plaza, Uyo.
It was also reported that the hoodlums also set part of the Mall on fire before carting away items worth millions of naira.
Morenews.ng also gathered that the hoodlums were vandalizing, destroying and setting peoples shops ablaze along Ikpa Road despite the statewide curfew declared by the state government.
Another report has it that at Abak Road there was sporadic shooting as the hoodlums opened fire on police.
An eye-witness told Morenews.ng that the hoodlums were shooting in the air to scare people away as they loot their shops before police arrived.
Morenews.ng learnt that one life was loss at Abak Road following the shooting by police while trying to scare away the hoodlums.
Another eye-witness told Morenewsng that the same situation happened at Udo Umana by Akpan Andem Market, Mbierebe Junction, Udo Udoma where the Marketing office of Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC) was touched by the hoodlums.
Earlier, Morenews.ng had reported that two persons have been killed by police while trying to disperse the protesters on Thursday at Ibom Plaza as EndSARS protest went violent in Uyo.
Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom State Government has declared curfew in the state from 9pm Thursday, 22th October , 2020 to midday of Friday, 23rd October 2020.
Recall that Nigerian youths are protesting against police brutality, extra-judical killings and unwarranted arrest and torture by the police in Nigeria and also called for total scrapping of the hydra-headed Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
Government had yielded to their demands and immediately announced the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and subsequently named another unit to replace the unit called Special Weapon And Tactics (SWAT) which the youths also rejected.
The protest which started a year ago through social media campaign tagged: #EndSARS gathered momentum two weeks ago in Lagos and spread across the country with the youths carrying placards with different inscriptions that communicated their demands and grievances to the government.
Other demands of the youths include improved welfare package for the police force, reduction in the salary of Nigerian Senators and members of the House of Representatives and other political office holders, elimination of corruption and overall good governance among others.
The protest which started peacefully had since been hijacked by hoodlums who are causing serious breakdown of law and order across the country. Many souls have also been lost in the protest while properties worth billions of naira have been destroyed so far by these hoodlums.
