Date Published: 06/28/11

Petition to National Security Adviser on threat to public peace

Dear Sir,

CONTINUOUS INCITEMENT OF THE PEOPLE OF AKWA IBOM STATE AGAINST THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND CONDUCT OF DR. IME UMANAH THAT MAY LEAD TO TOTAL BREAKDOWN OF PEACE AND SECURITY IN AKWA IBOM STATE.

The above subject matter refers, please.

We act for Mr. Umana Okon Umana, the Secretary to the State Government of Akwa Ibom State. For ease of reference, the said Umana Okon Umana is hereinafter referred to as “our client”.

Sir, you may recall that we wrote you a letter with a similar caption and dated 20th May, 2010, on behalf of our client in respect of this same subject.

You may further recall that in the said letter, we complained about the false publication by the subject person, Dr. Ime Umanah which could cause unrest, disturbance of public peace and total breakdown of security in Akwa Ibom State, with a view to causing the security agencies to investigate same.

It is pertinent to call your attention to the fact that rather than for the said Dr. Umanah to abate his libelous publication, he has continued with a renewed vigor by publishing widely in Akwa Ibom State and in diverse places, a letter mischievously captioned “AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF AKWA IBOM STATE. WHY DOES DR. GODSWILL AKPABIO WANT ME DEAD?” A copy of the said letter is hereby attached for your attention.

In the said publication, the said Dr. Ime Umanah made several false, flagrant accusations against His Excellency, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, our client and some other high ranking functionaries of the State.

It may be relevant, Sir, to mention that the false allegations include allegation of murder, kidnap, intimidation, and other allegations that are naturally repulsive to the people of Akwa Ibom and all other men of culture and decency. It may also be relevant to mention that these allegations are all product of Dr. Umanah's fertile but misdirected imagination.

It is important to note that the subject person, Dr. Umanah may have political differences with the present Government of Akwa Ibom State, but this should not deteriorate to the level of mudslinging and blackmail which could heat up the polity which Dr. Umanah has resorted to.

It is easy to ascribe this untoward attitude of the subject person to his electoral misfortune at the 2011 elections, however, as our previous letter would bear it out, this is not the case as the blackmail and unfounded allegations had commenced way back before the elections.

The contents of the publication are even more disturbing considering the fact that grievous allegations falsely made therein by the subject person against our client, the Executive Governor and other men in authority in Akwa Ibom State can cause disharmony and disaffection between the Government and the people of the State which may eventually lead to unrest, disturbance and total breakdown of peace, stability and tranquility of the State.

It is in the light of the foregoing and in the general interest that we implore you, Sir, to cause an investigation into these allegations so that the falsity could be brought to the fore.

It is worthy of note that part of the allegations of Dr. Umanah against our client and other functionaries of the State include his likely assassination and kidnap. These are social malaise that had become rampant in our nation recently and in respect of which any prospective assassin or kidnapper may seize the moment and/or take the opportunity to perpetrate any of these acts against the said Dr. Umanah, using our client and other high ranking officials as cover-up for their evil act. Sir, this is why the immediate investigation into this allegations becomes more imperative.

It is pertinent to note that our client and the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State who was equally wrongly accused by the subject person are occupying public office and the incitement of the people of Akwa Ibom State against them have the tendency to lead to total breakdown of law and order in the state and cause an unnecessary friction to the fragile fabric of the society.

It may be relevant to point it out, without prejudice to your investigation, that the subject person is currently being prosecuted for terrorism and threat to life in the High Court of Justice, Uyo. In that regard, he had made several overtures, directly and through privies, to our client and the Governor to influence the Attorney-General of the State to use his Constitutional power to discontinue the prosecution. Our client and the State Governor have stoutly resisted this move to influence the Attorney-General's discretion and this may very well be the motive for this unfounded allegations. It may be to arm twist or blackmail our client and other high ranking members of the Government of Akwa Ibom State.

It is in the light of the foregoing that our client has instructed us to write you this petition with a view for you to cause an investigation to these allegations of Dr. Umanah which he has widely published in Akwa Ibom State and diverse places and which has generated a lot of tension and is capable of causing chaos and breakdown of law and order.

We also need to reiterate the fact that your investigation and/or eventual arraignment of the subject person for whatever criminal aspect of this matter shall in no manner constitute a bar to our client's right to seek remedy in a civil court against the said Dr. Umanah for the damages his unguarded and widely published false assertion has caused our client.

Thank you in anticipation of your prompt action.

Yours faithfully,
Signed:
OLOWOLAFE & CO.
Solicitors to Umana Okon Umana
SSG, Akwa Ibom State