A 41-year-old food seller, Mrs. Lizzy Offiong, has
died while struggling for a share of the N1m the
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom
Emmanuel, gave to Mbiaobong market women.
It was learnt that the woman, who sold food
around the streets of Uyo in the morning, was
returning from a church programme on Saturday
when she decided to stop at the market to buy
food items.
Her husband, Mr. Gabriel Dick, from Aka Ekpeme,
in Ikono Local Government Area, told the
reporters in Uyo on Tuesday that his wife only
went to the market to buy food items, but did
not know how she became involved with the
governor’s money.
According to him, when the governor arrived at
the market, he told the women that he was going
to give them N1m to share among themselves.
He added that immediately the governor handed
the money over to the market leader, Mrs.
Edemawang Udo, and left, the market was
thrown into chaos.
Dick stated that few minutes before 8pm, he was
alerted that his wife had been rushed to St. Luke
Hospital, Anua, Uyo, adding that Offiong was
transferred to the University of Uyo Teaching
Hospital, after six hours of treatment at St. Luke
Hospital without improvement.
husband of the victim and sympathisers
Quote
“My wife was in the market to buy food
items. When the governor arrived at the
market, he asked for the market leader so
that he could give them N1m to share
among themselves.
“Then Emmanuel handed the money over to
the elderly woman and instructed her to
share it with the other women and then
left. So, the women themselves began to
drag the elderly woman to share the
money, but from what I heard, there was
confusion all over the place.
“So, the old woman was dragged here and
there, and as I learnt, I did not know how
the money got into my wife’s hand, before
men and other women ramped into her,
pushed her into the gutter and matched on
her. And before anyone could realise what
had happened, she had gone into coma,”
he said.
The leader of the market women identified as
Edemawang Udo, 65, said she was there when
people fell on her and pushed her into the
gutter, stressing that she had injuries especially
on her waist as a result.
woman market leader, Udo
Udo said when Emmanuel came, he sent for her
and she abandoned what she was doing to meet
the governor, explaining that the governor gave
her N1m to share with other market women.
She said, “A young man who stood nearby came
to collect the money from me, but when a
policeman asked if he was my son, I said no. So,
immediately I took the money to my stall, other
women ran up to me to seize the money; and
before you know, men selling beef, overpowered
all of us and collected the money.
“I was trampled on and thrown into the gutter;
and since then, I have just come to the market.
I’ve not seen a kobo of the money the governor
gave to us. I don’t know if there was anybody
who suffered the way I did.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Cordelia
Nwawe, said the police was not aware of the
incident.
died while struggling for a share of the N1m the
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom
Emmanuel, gave to Mbiaobong market women.
It was learnt that the woman, who sold food
around the streets of Uyo in the morning, was
returning from a church programme on Saturday
when she decided to stop at the market to buy
food items.
Her husband, Mr. Gabriel Dick, from Aka Ekpeme,
in Ikono Local Government Area, told the
reporters in Uyo on Tuesday that his wife only
went to the market to buy food items, but did
not know how she became involved with the
governor’s money.
According to him, when the governor arrived at
the market, he told the women that he was going
to give them N1m to share among themselves.
He added that immediately the governor handed
the money over to the market leader, Mrs.
Edemawang Udo, and left, the market was
thrown into chaos.
Dick stated that few minutes before 8pm, he was
alerted that his wife had been rushed to St. Luke
Hospital, Anua, Uyo, adding that Offiong was
transferred to the University of Uyo Teaching
Hospital, after six hours of treatment at St. Luke
Hospital without improvement.
husband of the victim and sympathisers
Quote
“My wife was in the market to buy food
items. When the governor arrived at the
market, he asked for the market leader so
that he could give them N1m to share
among themselves.
“Then Emmanuel handed the money over to
the elderly woman and instructed her to
share it with the other women and then
left. So, the women themselves began to
drag the elderly woman to share the
money, but from what I heard, there was
confusion all over the place.
“So, the old woman was dragged here and
there, and as I learnt, I did not know how
the money got into my wife’s hand, before
men and other women ramped into her,
pushed her into the gutter and matched on
her. And before anyone could realise what
had happened, she had gone into coma,”
he said.
The leader of the market women identified as
Edemawang Udo, 65, said she was there when
people fell on her and pushed her into the
gutter, stressing that she had injuries especially
on her waist as a result.
woman market leader, Udo
Udo said when Emmanuel came, he sent for her
and she abandoned what she was doing to meet
the governor, explaining that the governor gave
her N1m to share with other market women.
She said, “A young man who stood nearby came
to collect the money from me, but when a
policeman asked if he was my son, I said no. So,
immediately I took the money to my stall, other
women ran up to me to seize the money; and
before you know, men selling beef, overpowered
all of us and collected the money.
“I was trampled on and thrown into the gutter;
and since then, I have just come to the market.
I’ve not seen a kobo of the money the governor
gave to us. I don’t know if there was anybody
who suffered the way I did.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Cordelia
Nwawe, said the police was not aware of the
incident.
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