San Francisco Jan 31, (THEWILL) - Reports reaching THEWILL has it that General Edet Akpan (rtd), the one time NYSC Director and Chairman of Universal Energy has been kidnapped by yet to be identified gunmen.

The incident occurred during a church service on Sunday, January 31 2010, at Qua Iboe church, in his hometown, Iwok, Nsit Atai LGA of Akwa Ibom State.

Three women lost their lives from stray bullets from the kidnappers. His security aide and driver also sustained injuries at the time of the incident, which observers have ranked as the worst of all kidnapping incidents in Akwa Ibom State.

Close family sources have claimed that the incident is political and have also mentioned one Sunny Elijah to be a possible mastermind.

THEWILL checks revealed that on Monday February 01, General Akpan was set to be appointed the PDP political leader of his LGA, Nsit Atai, a position Sunny Elijah is coveting. Sunny Elijah whom they claim is a political thug has been fermenting all kinds of chaos in Nsit Atai.

Akwa Ibom State, one of the states in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, has been plagued with abductions since the inception the Governor Akpabio administration.