A 16-year-old boy has been arrested by the Cross River State Police Command for allegedly fatally stabbing a 20-year-old man, Uwem Daniel Akpan, during a misunderstanding in Awi, Calabar.
The incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. yesterday at Peters Street, Awi, where Akpan was reportedly stabbed during the altercation.
He was rushed to the Naval Reference Hospital, Calabar, for treatment but was later confirmed dead.
Confirming the the incident on Tuesday, the command said the case was being processed for transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Calabar, for further investigation and appropriate legal action.
The Commissioner of Police, Cross River State Command, CP Geoffrey Ordue, urged residents to remain calm and allow the police to handle the matter, warning against taking the law into their own hands.
Ordue also urged members of the public to promptly report suspected criminal activities and distress situations to the police, stressing that suspects should be handed over to the authorities for investigation and prosecution rather than subjected to mob violence.
The command assured residents that the incident would be thoroughly investigated and that further developments would be communicated as relevant facts emerged.
In a separate incident, the Cross River State Police Command rescued a man identified as Chukwu Ebuka from a mob attack over an alleged phone theft in Calabar.
The command also arrested a 56-year-old man, Azubike Micheal, for allegedly instigating the mob and encouraging them to subject Ebuka to jungle justice.
According to command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Sunday Eitokpah, the incident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday around Harbour Junction, Calabar.
The statement said police operatives were deployed to the area following a distress call and found Ebuka being attacked by a mob.
The operatives reportedly intervened, rescued him and took him to an undisclosed clinic, where he was receiving treatment for multiple injuries sustained during the attack.
The command said Micheal was subsequently arrested for allegedly instigating the mob attack.
It added that the suspect remained in police custody while investigations continued into the circumstances surrounding the incident and the allegations that led to the attack.