Police Exhume Body Of Chicken Thief, Arrest 4 Suspects In A/Ibom

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with the gruesome murder of a 21-year-old man, identified as Emmanuel Effiong, whose body was allegedly buried in a shallow grave after being severely tortured to death by a mob over allegations of stealing chicken and eggs.

Disclosing this at the weekend at the State Police Command headquarters, Ikot Akpanabia, Uyo, the spokesperson of the command, DSP Timfon John, stated that that the breakthrough followed an investigation launched by operatives after receiving credible intelligence.

LEADERSHIP Sunday learnt the Police action was sequel to a viral video on social media showing the victim being brutally assaulted, with the footage capturing the late Emmanuel lying in a pool of his own blood with hands and legs tied before being dragged on the ground beside a parked white Mitsubishi pick-up van.

Police identified the arrested suspects as David Okon, popularly known as “Ita,” 45; Joseph Gibson, 39; Essien Solomon, 23; and Imoh Asuquo, 28.

However, Police, investigations revealed that the deceased was accused of stealing chickens and eggs from a poultry farm at Mbak 4 community, in Uyo local government area.

“Rather than handing him over to law enforcement authorities, he was allegedly subjected to a brutal mob attack on April 19, 2026, during which he was beaten with sticks and machetes until he died,” the Police recalled.

“The suspects allegedly tied the victim’s hands and legs, dragged his body through the community to a junction where it was abandoned for about two days, before transporting it on a wheelbarrow into a nearby forest and burying it in a shallow grave in an attempt to conceal the crime,” the Police Spokesperson stated

The suspects, the Police recalled, “Confessed to their respective roles during interrogation and subsequently led investigators to the burial site in the forest, where the victim’s remains were exhumed and deposited at the morgue for autopsy.”

DSP John stated that “the Command also recovered key exhibits linked to the crime, including the Mitsubishi pick-up van allegedly used during the incident, the wheelbarrow used to transport the corpse, and the weapons suspected to have been used in carrying out the attack.”

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, condemned the killing, describing jungle justice as “a serious criminal offence which has no place in a civilized society.”

He stressed that no individual or group has the legal authority to assault, torture or kill anyone based on mere suspicion, noting that every suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The Police Commissioner urged residents to always hand over suspected offenders to security agencies for proper investigation and prosecution, warning that the Command would relentlessly pursue and prosecute all those involved in mob violence, extrajudicial killings and other criminal acts.

He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting lives, upholding the rule of law and ensuring that all those responsible for criminal offences are brought to justice.