Snakes attack civil servants at federal secretariat

Snakes have bitten two civil servants and an allied worker at the federal secretariat in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

The incident happened after an armed robbery attack on Tuesday night where a security personnel was manhandled and tied up to a stake.

Armed robbers carted away armoured and telephone cables, generators and laptops from the offices of Code of Conduct Bureau, defence, solid minerals and other departments.

The civil servants who were trying to trace the possible whereabouts of some of the stolen office items yesterday stepped on a big snake near the eatery within the premises of the secretariat.

The snake bit one of the bar attendants from the cafeteria who was said to have also stumbled on another black snake.

In the last two years, there have been reports about overgrown weeds at the secretariat and the attendant risks.

Within the premises, rodents and lizards are easily noticeable in the lawns, thereby putting the lives of the thousands of workers at risk.

One of the civil servants, Mr Ochong Edim, lamented that even before the armed robbers carted away the armoured cables, they hardly have electricity supply.

“Now, the light problems have been compounded. We are also battling with the issues of snakes and rodents. Our lives are endangered,” Edim said.

Reacting, Engr. Patrick Nziwu, the federal controller of works and housing sent a message that there was nothing they could do since no fund was voted for the cutting of grasses in the expansive premises.

When contacted, the police spokesman said an investigation had started over the robbery incident at the federal secretariat.