Exhumed Corpse: Outrage as Police Free Suspect, Instead Arrest Member of Deceased Family
Credible information has it that the Village Council Chairman of Usung Atiat in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Aniedu Thompson, has facilitated the arrest of one Elder Emmanuel Okon, a relative of the Late Aniefiok Daniel Effiong whose corpse was exhumed a fortnight ago on the orders of the village council.
The arrest was allegedly made by officers of the Nigeria Police from the Zonal Command in Calabar, Cross River State.
This came after the Village Council Chairman was freed by the police at the Akwa Ibom State Police Command after being arrested following a petition lodged by the family of the deceased.
Related: Bizarre As Corpse Exhumed, Abandoned In Oruk Anam
The controversial exhumation was carried out after the Village Council Chairman was not given some items by the deceased family.
He had demanded the following items: a she goat, 5 tubers of yam, a jar of palmwine, 1 crate of mineral, 1 carton of beer, 1 bottle of kai-kai (local gin), 1 bottle of Lords Dry Gin, garden egg, tobacco, ntuen ibok (alligator pepper), condiments and firewood.
The items, according to him, were to be used to atone for an unspecified offence committed by the deceased. However, the family was not told the nature of the alleged offence. Upon request, this reporter was equally not told what actually was the reason for the reason for the request for the listed items..
According to sources, Police from the Akwa Ibom State Command had visited the crime scene and took the exhumed corpse to mortuary before arresting the prime suspect, the Village Council Chairman, Aniedu Thompson.
Mr Thompson was later released on bail by police, having signed that he will return to the station with other suspects who were on the run.
Thompson, however, abandoned the case in Uyo and fled to Calabar with his Secretary, Ikobong John, who was at large, to lodge complaints.
The case file has now been transferred from the Akwa Ibom State Police Command to the zonal command.
Members of the deceased family are now being reportedly hunted by officers of the zonal command.
Over the weekend, the village council chairman reportedly trailed Elder Emmanuel Okon with his motorcycle, knocked him down and injured him on the leg, minutes before the police officers from the zonal command closed in to arrest (Emmanuel Okon) and whisk him away to Calabar.
Meanwhile, the three family heads in the village have inaugurated a new village council and have warned the embattled Aniedu Thompson to stop parading himself as chairman, or face legal consequences.
The family heads are: Elder Emmanuel Okon, family head, Nto Akpan Itor; Chief Tommy James Etukudo, family head, Nto Awong; Elder Iboro Isaac Akpan, family head, Nto Afia; and Mr Aniekan Monday Okon, youth leader.
They said their action was triggered by Aniedu’s involvement in the exhumation of a corpse, misappropriation of funds, failure to constitute village council and incessant arrest of family heads and youths.
