Jelili Gbadamosi
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested four suspects over the alleged mob killing of a 21-year-old man, Emmanuel Effiong, whose body was exhumed from a shallow grave in Mbak 4 Community, Uyo Local Government Area following an investigation.
The suspects—David Okon, popularly known as Ita, Joseph Gibson, Essien Solomon and Imoh Asuquo—were arrested after police launched an investigation prompted by credible intelligence and a viral video allegedly showing the victim being brutally assaulted.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, said the victim’s remains have been deposited in a morgue for an autopsy, while investigations continue.
According to the police, Emmanuel Effiong was accused of stealing chickens and eggs from a poultry farm in the community. Instead of reporting him to law enforcement authorities, he was allegedly attacked by a mob on April 19, 2026, and beaten with sticks and machetes until he died.
Police said the attackers allegedly tied the victim’s hands and legs, dragged his body through the community, abandoned it at a junction for about two days, and later transported it on a wheelbarrow to a nearby forest, where it was buried in a shallow grave in an attempt to conceal the crime.
The command disclosed that the suspects confessed to their individual roles during interrogation and subsequently led investigators to the burial site.
Officers also recovered exhibits linked to the incident, including a white Mitsubishi pick-up van allegedly used during the attack, the wheelbarrow used to move the corpse, and the weapons believed to have been used in the assault.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, condemned the killing, describing jungle justice as a serious criminal offence that has no place in a lawful and civilised society.
He assured residents that everyone found culpable in the incident would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
