Youths of Iboko Offot axis of Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Thursday blocked a portion of Abak Road, where a 60-year-old woman was swept away by flood, due to Wednesday evening downpour.

The protest left vehicles plying the road to Abak, Etinan and other adjoining parts of the state with hectic time navigating through Ukana Offot, Nkemba and Clement Isong streets, to get out of the capital.

An eyewitness and local resident of the street, Anietie Sam, who spoke with our correspondent in Uyo on Thursday, said the deceased was a petty trader along Nkemba Street, close to the scene of the incident.

Sam who reported that the woman met her untimely death on her way from the market where she went to buy goods for sale, blamed the incident to an open drainage in the area.

In his words, “It happened around 4.30 p.m. while it was still raining heavily. We made efforts to rescue her when we noticed she was being swept away uncontrollably by the food but before we got to her, the fast-moving water had drawn her closer to an open hole linking the underground drainage facility.”

He alleged that “officials of the state Waste Management and Environmental Protection Agency had opened the slaps to remove sewage and clear the drains, but failed to cover it back for about three years now.”

Comrade Effiong Asuquo, one of the protesters, blamed the Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals for what he described as “lack of sincere commitment to environmental protection,” vowing, “We will remain here until the state government recovers the remains of the aged woman and adequate compensation given for proper burial.”

Speaking with newsmen, Commissioner for Environment and Solid Mineral, Sir Charles Udoh, sympathise with the situation and appealed for calm as frantic efforts were on to retrieve the corpse for burial. (Daily Independent)

Update news