–We are at risk of rape, killing by bandits, Teenage girls cry out
By the Guide Newspaper
Young female footballers under the aegis of Elegant Angel Football Academy owned by Hon. Oto Obong Essien, the Chairman of Ikono Local Government Area, have cried out, accusing Hon. Essien of exposing them to the danger of rape and attack by bandits in Abuja, over her refusal to provide them accommodation and take care of their feeding at the ongoing football tournament christened U18 10th Senate President’s Cup, kicking off today, 9th November, 2025, in Abuja.
Speaking in an exclusive telephone interview with the Guide Newspaper this afternoon, the teenage girls who were escorted by the Executive Chairman of Ikono, yesterday at Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, lamented that Hon. Otobong Essien sent them to Abuja for Senate President Football Tournament without making any provision for their accommodation and feeding for the period of the tournament.
The young girls, while speaking with the Guide Newspaper, lamented that they have been starved of food and water since they arrived Abuja yesterday and are at risked of being raped or killed by Abuja bandits if they are still abandoned to sleep in an open stadium without any provision for their accommodation today.
They cried out that all efforts to reach Hon. Otobong Essien through her telephone line have proved abortive as she has neither picked her calls nor responded to text messages sent to her mobile line.
Speaking with the Guide Newspaper, a close aide to Ikono Council Boss, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak for the Chairman said that Hon.Otobong Essien has been working according to the directive of Governor Umo Eno who gives order on how funds in all Local Government Areas in the State should be spent.
According to him, “Hon. Otobong Essien that I know is very loyal to Governor Umo Eno, she does not spend any money without getting approval from the governor. So, you cannot expect her to release money for the young girls going for Senate President Football Tournament when she has not gotten approval from the governor.”
It would be recalled that Hon.Oto Obong Essien the Council Chairman of Ikono Local Government Area, had yesterday posted on her Facebook timeline shortly after escorting the young girls at Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, that she sees “… the Elegant Angels female footballers, under-18 team, as the future stars of Nigerian football, poised to shine on the national and international stages.”
The Guide Newspaper reports that according to a recent document released by the Accountant -General of the Federation, showing the distribution of revenue to Local Government Councils by the Federation Account Allocation Committee, for the month of July, 2025, Ikono Local Government Council received N528.9 million in the month of July, from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Meanwhile, all efforts made by our reporter to speak with Hon. Otobong Essien on the issue has proved abortive as she did not pick her call and also failed to respond to the text message sent to her telephone line as at the time of filing this report.
