Akwa Ibom: Police exhume corpse of slain victim of mob attack, arrest suspects

Akwa Ibom State Police Command says its operatives have exhumed the corpse of one Emmanuel Effiong, 21, a victim of a mob attack in Mbak 4 Community, Uyo Local Government Area of the state.

The command added that four suspects, David Okon, alias Ita, 45; Joseph Gibson, 39; Essien Solomon, 23; and Imoh Asuquo, 28, were subsequently arrested in connection with the crime following a painstaking investigation.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfon John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the remains had been deposited in the morgue for an autopsy.

She said the investigation was initiated following credible information, accompanied by a viral video clip showing the deceased being brutally assaulted by a group of individuals.

She said, “In the viral video, the victim was seen lying helpless in a pool of blood with his hands and legs tied before being dragged along the ground beside a white Mitsubishi pick-up van.

“Investigation revealed that the deceased was allegedly accused of stealing chickens and eggs from a poultry farm located in Mbak 4 Community, Uyo Local Government Area. Rather than being handed over to law enforcement authorities, he was subjected to a barbaric mob attack on April 19, 2026, during which he was beaten with sticks and machetes until he died.

“The suspects allegedly tied the victim’s hands and legs, dragged his lifeless body through the community to a junction, abandoned it there for about two days, and later transported the corpse on a wheelbarrow into a nearby forest, where it was buried in a shallow grave in a deliberate attempt to conceal the crime.”

She said that during interrogation, the four suspects voluntarily confessed to their respective roles in the murder and subsequently led investigators to the burial site in the forest at Mbak 4 Community.

“Investigators also recovered critical exhibits connected to the crime, including the Mitsubishi pick-up van allegedly used in the commission of the offence, the wheelbarrow used to transport the corpse, and the weapons allegedly used to perpetrate the attack.”

The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, condemned the heinous act in the strongest terms, describing jungle justice as a grave criminal offence that has no place in a civilised society.

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