Police Operatives Arrest Murder Suspects in Akwa lbom

Okon Bassey in Uyo

Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested two suspects in connection with alleged conspiracy and gruesome murder of a 26-year-old man, late Nsikak Joshua, in Oboetim Ikot Ekong village, Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of the state.

The case was reported at the police station on July 14, 2026, at about 8:30 p.m. by one Mr. Ekere, 52, father of the deceased.

He alleged that his only son was beaten to death by one Otobong Nelson also known as ‘Efok Ikid’, alongside Inemesit Robert, Utibe Clement, and Victor Robert, all residents of the same village.

The complainant further stated that on July 14, 2026, at about 8:40 a.m., the suspects allegedly brought the corpse of his son to his residence armed with spades, forcefully demanded that he indicate where the deceased should be buried, dug a shallow grave within his compound, buried the corpse, and thereafter threatened him against reporting the incident to the police.

Upon receipt of the report, detectives commenced im-mediate investigation. Acting on credible intelligence, operatives arrested Otobong Nelson and Utibe Clement on July 17, 2026, at about 3:45 a.m.

During interrogation, the first suspect, Otobong Nelson, made a confessional statement in which he admitted that the deceased had been summoned to answer an allegation of threatening a neighbour with a machete.

He further confessed that he ordered his subjects, identified as Utibe Clement, Victor Robert, and Inemesit Robert, to assault the deceased with sticks, which resulted in his death.

The suspect also confessed that after the victim died, he and others conveyed the corpse to the deceased’s father’s compound and falsely informed him that his son had been knocked down by a hit-and-run vehicle.

They allegedly advised the father not to take the body to the mortuary, after which the corpse was buried in a shallow grave within the compound.

Following police intervention, the remains of the deceased were exhumed and deposited at the morgue for preservation and autopsy.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, has condemned the act in the strongest terms and described it as barbaric, unlawful, and unacceptable.

He has directed that the ongoing investigation be intensified to ensure the arrest of all other suspects currently at large and that everyone found culpable is brought to justice.

The Command reassured members of the public that no individual or group has the authority to take the law into its own hands.

“Any person involved in conspiracy, unlawful assault, murder, intimidation of witnesses, or concealment of evidence will be investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” he stated.