October 15, (THEWILL) – The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has raised an alarm over what it describes as an alarming rate of criminal activities in the state, involving child abduction, murder, defilement among others.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, SP Odiko MacDon made the observation while briefing the press on the activities and achievements of the command for the third quarter of 2021 at the command headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia.
According to him, at least 136 suspects were arrested within the period in review for various offences.
The arrested suspects include 11 murder suspects, 47 armed robbery and stealing suspects, 10 defilement and rape cases, 21 suspected cultists, 16 suspects arrested for vandalism, 7 arrested for kidnapping and abduction and 24 others for child theft and other criminal activities.
A cross section of the suspects were paraded before news men on Friday at the command headquarters, including a four-man armed robbery and child-stealing syndicate.
According to the PPRO, following a tip off on 9th of October, at about 2 pm, the operatives of Anti Child theft ambushed and arrested Emmanuel Sunday Effiong, Ibanga Sunday Effiong, Editi Ibanga Effiong and Idotenyin Etim Orok who hail from Ikot Okubo, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Areas and rescued a six months old baby girl, identified as Goodness Effiong Okon along Aka Nnung Udoe Road.
“Investigations revealed that the syndicate used motor bike on 8th October 2021 at about 9pm, mask their faces and invaded the house of Mr/Mrs Effiong Okon Udo of Ikot Okubo, Ibesikpo Asutan LGA on gunpoint, beat up the couple, inflected various degrees of injuries on them and abducted their six months old baby girl by name Goodness.”
The perplexing thing in this crime is that those involved are members of one family: Emmanuel Sunday Effiong and Ibanga Sunday Effiong are blood brothers while Editi Ibanga Effiong is the wife of Emmanuel.
THEWILL also gathered that the two brothers involved are ex-convicts.
In their confessionary statements, the suspects admitted to the crime. They added that at the time of arrest, arrangements were concluded to sell the child for four hundred thousand naira (N400,000) to one Mrs Imabong who is yet to be apprehended.
Speaking, the victim’s mother, Mrs. Effiong Udo, said she is still suffering excruciating pains on her spinal cord as one of the suspects kicked her on the back to let go of her baby. She said she is happy that her child has been reunited with the family.
Also, a 40-year-old grandmother, Margaret Friday Akpan of Ekpene Ukim in Uruan local government of the state was on October 13th arrested at about 9pm for stealing a one month and three weeks old baby boy named Daniel Jackson Ekwere, belonging to Mr and Mrs Jackson Ekwere from Nsit Ubium.
Investigations revealed that the suspect went to the house to meet Blessing Ekwere, pretending to be sick and thereafter asked her to leave her baby with her and help buy ulcer drugs in a nearby chemist.
The suspect ran away with the baby before she returned.
“Aunty Magaret is my husband’s aunty and has been coming to the house. When she came on Wednesday, I was alone with the baby, she started crying that she has ulcer and under serious pains. She begged that I should leave my baby with her and buy ulcer drugs for her, without suspecting any faul play, I went and bought the drugs she told me but by the time I came back, she was not there and I couldn’t find my child.
“When I called her she denied knowledge of the baby’s whereabout, and said she had to rush to the hospital as the pain was becoming unbearable. I quickly called my husband who informed the police,” Blessing narrated.
She said when it became obvious that the suspect could not hide for much lọ her, she put the baby in a bag and left for her daughter’s house in Ekpene Ukim, where she was nearly mobbed before the police arrived and she was arrested. Magaret is cooling her heels at the police headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia.
The command also paraded an aged physically impaired woman, Mrs Eseme James, who was allegedly arrested with fresh human skull in her house at Nnung Oku Ibiet village.
According to the PPRO, Eseme was arrested on the 12th of October 2021 at about 6:45 pm by their partners in the Nigerian Army under the operation ‘Ex Still Water’ and handed over to the police for discreet and diligent prosecution.
He hinted that the woman is suspected to be involved in ritual activities though she confessed to the police that her husband (now late) was a native doctor and that her son took over the trade when her husband died.
He said the police believe the presence of the skull point to a recent murder.
Responding to questions from journalists, the women denied knowledge of the evidence found on her. She said that she only heard from her daughter that the skull was exumed by the police at the boundary of a disputed piece of land near her house.
“I don’t know anything about this skull, they came to the house and when I ask this girl what was going on since I cannot see, she told me that police exumed human skull from the boundary of that disputed land and they gave it to me to bring to the police station that is why I’m here.
“When they came to the house, I was the only person they saw and they said ‘take let’s go’.
“My husband was a native doctor. I have never seen him do anything with human parts. I don’t know who buried that skull there. The land has been in dispute even before my husband died,” Eseme James narrated.
The PPRO mentioned that while some of the cases are pending in court, convictions have been secured in others, while some are being investigated.
He attributed the successes recorded by the command to the gallant officers and men of the command, sister security agencies, the support from the state government and the cooperation of public-spirited individuals who always volunteer information to the police.
He called on all stakeholders to remain committed to the task of a secured and peaceful state.
Attached: pic of Eseme James will the human skull
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