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A visually impaired woman identified as Mrs. Eseme James, a native of Nnung Oku Ibiet village in Oruk Anam Local government area of Akwa Ibom state has been arrested over a human skull reportedly found in her house.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Odiko MacDon told newsmen that Mrs. James was arrested on October 12, 2021 at about 6:45 pm by their partners in the Nigerian Army under the operation โEx Still Waterโ, and handed over to the police for discreet investigation and prosecution.
MacDon who spoke weekend the suspect was paraded alongside other 136 criminal suspects arrested in the third quarter of 2021, at the Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, added that the blind woman is suspected to be involved in some ritual activities.
He said the woman told the police that her deceased husband was a native doctor and her son took over the trade.
โThe worry of the police is what she is doing with a fresh human skull. It means murder has been committed somewhere recentlyโ
But while fielding questions from newsmen, the blind woman denied having knowledge about the said human skull allegedly found at her residence, saying that her daughter told her that the said human skull was exhumed by the police at the boundary of a disputed piece of land near her house.
โI donโt know anything about this human skull, when they came to the house I asked this girl what was going on since I cannot see, and she told me that police exhumed human skull from the boundary of a disputed land.
โThey (police) gave me the skull to bring to the police station. That is why Iโm here.
When they came to the house, I was the only person they saw and they said: take letโs go.
โMy husband was a native doctor, but I have never seen him do anything with human parts. I donโt know who buried that skull there. The land has been in dispute even before he died.โ She narrated in the native language.
Speaking further, the PPRO disclosed that the Operatives of the Anti-Child theft within the third quarter arrested a total of seven alleged child abductors including a syndicate comprising two males and two females who had allegedly concluded plans to sell a six month old baby Goodness Effiong Okon at the rate of Four Hundred Thousand Naira(N400,000).
He stated, โBased on a tip-off, the Operatives of anti child theft ambushed and arrested four robbery/child stealing syndicate namely, Emmanuel Sunday Effiong โMโ, Ibanga Sunday Effiong โMโ, Editi Ibanga Effiong โfโ and Idorenyin Etim Orok โfโ of Ikot Okubo, Ibesikpo Asutan and rescued a six months old baby.
โInvestigation revealed that the syndicate used motor bike on 8/10/2021 at about 9:00pm, masked their faces and invaded the house of Mr/Mrs Effiong Okon Udo of Ikot Okubo Ibesikpo Asutan LGA on gunpoint, beat the couple inflicted them with various degrees of injuries and abducted their six (6) months old baby girl by name, Goodness Effiong Okon.
โBoth Ibanga Sunday and Emmanuel Effiong Sunday are ex-convicts for robbery/Cultism. As at the time of the rescue, arrangement had been concluded to sell the child for four hundred thousand naira(N400, 000.00).
โAlso on 13/10/2021 following a distress call, operatives of the Anti-Child theft arrested Margaret Friday Akpan (40) of Ekpene Ukim Uruan, went to the house of the motherโs victim, Mrs. Blessing Jackson Ekwere, pretending to be sick and thereafter sent the said Blessing Jackson Ekwere to buy drugs for her.
โThe suspect ran away with her one month, three weeks old boy by name Daniel Jackson Ekwere before the mother, Blessing Ekwere returned from where she went to buy the drugs for her.
โLet me on behalf of the tireless Commissioner of Police, CP Andrew Amiengheme, the gallant officers and men of the command thank the government and good people of Akwa Ibom state for all the support, and sister agencies for the synergy.
โAs a command we will not rest on our oars but will continue to deploy available resources effectively while collaborating with critical stakeholders to ensure that we reduce crimes to the barest minimum in all parts of the state including our waterwaysโ
Narrating her experience, Mrs Blessing Jackson Ekwere, mother of Daniel Ekwere told newsmen that when she called the suspect Margaret Akpan on phone asking the whereabout of her baby, She denied seeing the baby boy.
โWhen I called her she denied carrying the baby and said she had to rush to the hospital that the pain was becoming unbearable. I quickly called my husband who informed the police. She packaged the baby in a โGhana must goโ bag and took to her daughterโs house in Ekpene Ukim, where she was nearly mobbed before the police arrived and arrested herโ, Ekwere stressed
