The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has exhumed the remains of a 26-year-old man, Nsikak Joshua, who was allegedly beaten to death in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of the state.
Two suspects, Otobong Nelson, popularly known as “Efok Ikid,” and Utibe Clement, have been arrested in connection with the incident, while the police said efforts were underway to apprehend two other suspects identified as Victor Robert and Inemesit Robert.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement issued in Uyo on Tuesday.
According to the police, the matter was reported on July 14 by the deceased’s 52-year-old father, who alleged that his only son had been assaulted by four men and subsequently died from the injuries sustained.
The father reportedly told investigators that following his son’s death, the suspects brought the body to his residence and directed him to show them where it should be buried.
The suspects allegedly dug a shallow grave within the compound and buried the remains before warning the father not to disclose the incident to the authorities.
The police said an investigation was immediately launched after the report was received, leading to the arrest of Nelson and Clement on July 17.
During interrogation, Nelson allegedly told investigators that Joshua had been summoned to respond to an allegation that he threatened a neighbour with a machete.
The suspect reportedly admitted that he instructed the other men to assault Joshua with sticks.
According to the police, Nelson’s confession indicated that the assault resulted in the victim’s death.
The police spokesman further alleged that the suspects subsequently took Joshua’s body to his father’s compound and told him that his son had been knocked down by a hit-and-run vehicle.
They allegedly advised the father against taking the body to a mortuary and proceeded to bury it in a shallow grave on the premises.
The police said the remains were later recovered and exhumed following their intervention.
The statement quoted the police as saying, “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.”
It added, “He further confessed that he ordered his accomplices, identified as Utibe Clement, Victor Robert and Inemesit Robert, to assault the deceased with sticks, which resulted in his death.”
The command said the exhumed remains had been deposited at a morgue for preservation and autopsy as investigations continue.
Reacting to the incident, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, described the alleged killing as “barbaric and unacceptable.”
Azare assured members of the public that all individuals found to have played a role in the alleged assault, murder, conspiracy, intimidation of witnesses or concealment of evidence would face investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law.
The police urged residents to provide useful information that could assist investigators in bringing all those allegedly involved in the incident to justice.
