Judex Okoro, Calabar
The people of Ikot Omin community, in Calabar Municipal council of Cross River State, have called on the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa, to prosecute the suspects arrested in connection with the assassination of the village Head of Ikot Abenyo community, Ntufam Ekong Itu Omin.
The Village Head was assassinated by on February 26, 2018 at his residence at Ikot Omin about 4:00a.m. Four of the suspected murderers of the Village Head are being interrogated at state police command, Diamond Hill, Calabar.
Investigations by Daily Sun revealed that the late Village Head had petitioned one of his kinsmen, one Chief Asuquo Ekpeyong, to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Squad, Abuja, over an alleged forgery of certificate of recognition.
Following the petition, IGP’S office reportedly invited him for a chat on between February 20 and 22, 2018 and he returned to Calabar on February 23, 2018.
However, the late Omin was said to have been murdered in a cruel manner on March 26, 2018 just two day when he was supposed to return to the IGP’s office to provide additional evidence in the forgery case against Chief Asuquo Ekpeyong.
Raising concerns on the delay in charging the suspects to court, Counsel to the community, Barr. Ayei Okpa, commended the police for arresting the suspects just as he implored them to prosecute the suspects while intensifying efforts to arrest all other suspects still at large.
Okpa’s words, “We know that the uncovering of the suspected murderers of late Ntufam Ekong Itu Omin was a by-product of investigations launched by the state police command into recent secret cult clashes within the Calabar metropolis.
“The Ikot Omin community has for some time now been faced with series of assassinations and criminal activities all in an attempt to wrestle power from the traditional institution and take control of the community’s resources and the stool.
“This evil group has foisted an orgy of unprovoked violence and bloodletting on the community and held the community to its tenterhooks,” the community’s lawyer stated.
Okpa also enjoined the police command to investigate the roles played by one of community leaders, Chief Ekpenyong and the community’s youth leader, Edim Edim, as well as the assassination of the then clan Secretary, Chief Omin Omin and also an attempt on the life of Prince Edim Omin Edim, both in 2017.
He maintained that it was only when these were done that justice would have been seen to have been done.
Reacting, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Cross River Police State Command, Irene Ugbo, said it was not true that police was not doing anything on the matter.
She said the police authorities was doing everything humanly possible to ensure that the suspects, not only on the matter, but all suspects who are involved themselves in criminal matters were properly investigated and prosecuted by the law of the land.