Affliction Shall Not Raise The Second Time - An SOS

*Murder of Late Nsikak Etefia by Rt.Hon.Victor Etefia*: A Call for Justice.

By : Sharon Ezekiel

There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing an innocent man. There is no umbrella wide enough to cover the guiltless blood that spilled as a result of a minor disagreement that ensued on the 16th day of August, 2013 between Rt. Hon. Victor Charles Udofia (Member Representing Ikono State Constituency) and Late Nsikak Etefia of Ibiaku Ntok Okpo, Ikono Local Government Area.

Late Nsikak Edet Etefia disagreed with the State House Member over the House member’s decision to give out roofing contract jobs (six class room block) sited in Government primary school, Ibiaku ntok Okpo to non-indigenes of Ikono and Akwa Ibom as a whole(He contracted the job to Igbos- his wife is from Igbo land with the Constituency money of Akwa Ibom State).

In the course of this heated argument, *Hon Victor Udofia (popularly known for his arrogance and violence) gave Late Nsikak Etefia a blow on the face and this resulted in a brawl*. A mobile police attached to Rt. Hon. Victor Udofia for fear of losing his job joined in the fight in support of his boss and engaged his riffle by using the base to pound the chest of Late Nsikak.

This scenario occurred in the presence of many eye witnesses like-Hon. Iniodu Esah (who was a Councilor Representing Ward 3 as at that time-the ward of both the House Member and the deceased) and one Mr. Emmanuel Edet Etefia (the deceased bother) amongst others in broad day light.

However, this was not how Late Nsikak died.

While the State House Member, the Police officer and late Nsikak were all on the ground engaging in a free for all fight, best described as a 2 against 1 scuffle, Rt.Hon. Victor Charles Udofia rose-up and picked a riffle from his mobile police officer and shot severally at Late Nsikak.

He released several bullet into Nsikak’s Chest. Realizing that Late Nsikak was bleeding, and in the pool of his own blood, he ran and hid himself at the police station at Ikono Local Government Headquarters for fear of being lynched by angry protesters who were youths of his host community.

Victor Charles Udofia uses his wealth and influence as the Chairman House Committee on Security in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly to suppress this case with the police and prevent justice from taking its full course.

We are confident in the fact that *‘justice delayed is not justice denied’.*
According to Martín Luther king Jr. *“the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice”*.

Justice requires that we work to restore those who have been injured. The widow and children of late Nsikak Etefia are injured, Ikono is injured over the spilling the innocent blood of one of their vibrant youths by Rt.Hon Victor Charles Udofia.

While we have tried to give peace a chance, we make bold to say that *“peace without justice is tyranny”*.  There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.

By this submission, we are calling on the People’s Democratic Party at the State and National level for which Rt. Hon. Victor Udofia is seeking a House of Representative Position, The Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly who heads Victor Udofia in the Akwa Ibom State legislative Assembly, The Akwa Ibom State Government, Civil Societies, Human Right Activists, Traditional Rulers and Religious Organizations to stand on the side of justice on this matter.  Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.

No human being has the moral justification to take the life of another citizen and then, still walk freely on the streets of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We call on the Nigerian Police (As enforcers of the the law) to stand up and bring Victor Udofia to justice for the killing of our brother-Late Nsikak Edet Etefia. His wife and Children are suffering greatly. Anybody who aid and abet for Victor Udofia may meet with karma and suffer the same fate as Nsikak’s widow and Children.

We call on the Attorney General of the Federation, to prosecute this murderer as a deterrent to others. There really can be no peace without justice. There can be no justice without the truth. And there can be no truth unless someone rises up to tell and/or prosecute.

In the matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between “small man and big man”. Victor Charles Udofia prides himself as a *big man* and calls us the affected  *"small men"* We are confident that the law exists to protect the weak from the strong and that concerning the treatment of people, all are the same.

We call on President Mohammadu Buhari- the Champion of the Fight against Corruption and terrorism in Nigeria. We call on you Sir, to stand tall and defend the defenseless again. A State House Member in Akwa Ibom State murdered a citizen in cold blood and in broad day light and your police are receiving ‘settlements’ each time the matter rises up like this. *True peace is no merely the absence of war, it is the presence of Justice and when Justice is served, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to the evildoers.*

The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so for them. We call on the press, bloggers, online influencers all members of the fourth estate of the realm to occupy the media space and demand justice for Late Nsikak Edet Etefia as we launch the harsh tag today #JusticeforNsikakEtefia.

Evil strives when the good do nothing.

One for all; all for one.