The body was discovered on Friday, July 17, 2026, amid heavy rainfall that has continued to flood parts of Calabar.
The incident attracted a large number of residents who stood at a distance, watching in fear.
According to residents, the corpse was first spotted floating in the flooded channel before it was trapped against a stone and stopped moving.
The sight of the body has left many residents in fear, with most unwilling to go close to recover it.
One resident Maxwell Edem, said, “Everybody is afraid. If you touch the body, police can accuse you or invite you for questioning.”
Residents, however, said the victim could still be identified if authorities act quickly. “If they uncover the body and examine it well, we can know who he is and trace his family,” another resident Stella Ekpiken said.
They therefore called on the Ministry of Environment , Calabar Urban Development Authority CUDA and other emergency response agencies to urgently evacuate the body, warning that the may decompose or be washed to another location by floodwaters if left in the channel.
