Posted by By JOE EFFIONG, Uyo on
Sorrow, anguish and anger perfectly interacted when the entire community gathered in a sleepy village of Ikot Enua, Ikono Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday to watch two blood brothers who were murdered the same day, buried in the same grave with only a column of partition.
* Two brothers killed same day, buried in same grave
Sorrow, anguish and anger perfectly interacted when the entire community gathered in a sleepy village of Ikot Enua, Ikono Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday to watch two blood brothers who were murdered the same day, buried in the same grave with only a column of partition.
The duo - Romanus Okon Frank (54) and Maxwell Okon Frank (46) - were allegedly shot dead around 8.pm on Sunday, May 4, 2008 by four gunmen who stormed the community on two motorcycles wielding AK-47 assault riffles.
The assailants are still at large even though the police say that investigations have brought them within eyeshot.
The distraught father of the two, Chief Raymond Frank Obot, a retired civil servant, told Sunday Sun when the graves were being covered with earth, that nobody knew where the assailants came from as no arrest has so far been made despite police efforts.
'They came and first shot Maxwell dead at his residence. They did not know where Romanus was. So they used the phone to call him and he told them where he was - that he was standing on the highway to board a vehicle to Uyo. So they rushed down and gunned him down by the side of the road and fled."
The 79-year old grandfather who is also the village head of Ikot Enua said he was not aware if any of his children was involved in politics either at the state or the local government level. But he said a few months ago another person was equally gunned down in a nearby community.
'This case is the second in recent times and the entire community now lives in fear of what will happen next. These boys always minded their business. Maxwell ran a beer parlour while Romanus was also running his private business.
'People have advised us that we should go into investigation. But we could not do any other form of investigation apart from what the police have done. In fact it was the police who gave us the warrant to bury them today. So we can't resort to any extra-mundane investigation. We are leaving everything to God and the police," he explained.
The catechist of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Ikot Enua, who conducted the burial of the two brothers, Mr. Anthony Jimmy, told the large crowd that gathered to bid the two brothers farewell, to live like the Boys Scouts. 'Always be prepared because you don't know when your life will end. So be prepared to meet your God." He said the duo were good members of the church and society.
‘They didn't have any problem with anybody. In fact, somebody else's problem was their problem because they were ready to take up any voluntary responsibilities to help someone else."
However, a native of the community who craved anonymity had a different view. He said one of the two might have died for the offence of the other. 'Since they were very close, I strongly believe one or the two of them might have injured some people's political interest especially concerning the forth-coming council election in this local government where the former PDP chapter chairman was killed two months ago while a former councilor is still missing.
'So it is possible that they were killed to clear the way so that politicians could have their way or they were paying for their past deeds," he proffered.
Sunday Sun efforts to get more information about Romanus and Maxwell, who inexplicably, were still bachelors (though Maxwell was said to had have a daughter) was thwarted by their younger brothers who gave their names as Michael Titus Obot and Nnamso Frank Obot.
They insisted on getting N50, 000 before they would allow the aged mother of the deceased to comment about her slain children.
'You want to get information to sell your paper. If you pay us what we want, we'll bring everybody to talk to you. Apart from that, we won't allow you to see anybody and we won't give you their photographs because this is a serious business," they stressed, even rejecting a N20,000 mock preposition made by our correspondent." Make it N40, 000 or forget it," they insisted. And that was where the discussion ended.
Contacted, the state police commissioner Mr. Mike Zuokamor who confirmed having report of the killing of the two brothers, said that investigation was in progress and that very soon arrest would be made.
'You know Ikono has been experiencing some violence in recent times. We have transferred the case of the PDP Chapter chairman and that of another man still missing to Zone 6, Calabar. But we are still working on them. In fact, there are some tips," he explained.