The Akwa-Ibom Police Command has apprehended a cemetery manager, Elijah Edet, as well as a churchyard worker, Nsisak Effiong, over alleged offences of unlawfully exhuming a freshly buried corpse and an attempted sale of a casket for financial gains.
The police discloses that a local vigilante operative reported suspicious activities at the Mbiokporo graveyard, stating that he sighted two men conveying a casket on an unregistered motorcycle, leading to the security agency arresting the two suspects who are held in custody for necessary investigation.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, in Uyo on Thursday, said that the offences were committed on the August 3, after which the vigilante confronted the accused duo and arrested Effiong, while Nsisak escaped from the scene.
After he was handed over to the scene, Effiong, during interrogation, confessed to the crimes, after which the casket was recovered alongside the motorcycle, the police stating that it has commenced investigations to uncover the circumstances surrounding and also ensure arrest of all involved in the act, as informed by John.
The police figure said that one other Elijah Edet confessed to conspiring with grave diggers, the alleged offender, mentioning that it was the first time indulging in the act.
The Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, condemned the act, terming it as barbaric, sacrilegious and a gross violation of the dignity of the dead.
Azare directed the operative to conduct an intelligence-driven and professional investigation in accordance with the law. He also urged residents to remain security conscious and continue to provide timely, credible information to the police.