Police Publicly Execute Three Robbery Suspects in Akwa Ibom - Weekly Insight newspaper

Photo of the suspects allegedly executed by the police. Photo: Weekly Insight newspaper.

Men of the Nigerian police, Tuesday dispatched to the great beyond three youths in Enwang, Mbo LGA, suspected to be armed robbers, in a public show at the Enwang Police station.

The journey of the trio of Idongesit Etim Okon, Daniel Okon James and one simply identified by his nickname "Chike", started when villagers organized and "arrested" "Chike" and took him to the Enwang police station. He was said to be a notorious criminal, whose exploits as a criminal is well known to the people.

At the police station, "Chike" was said to have made a call to Idongesit Etim Okon, a musician in the area, who came to the police station to see him. On arrival at the police station, Idongesit was promptly arrested as an accomplice. They were allegedly both transferred to the Special Anti Robbery, SARS, Ikot Akpan Abia, for further investigations.

At the Ikot Akpan Abia, Police Headquarters, the suspects were said to have made confessional statements, on where their arms were being kept and other members of their gang.

On Monday Nov. 25, 2013, the police took them back to Enwang, where Daniel Okon James and an unidentified Igbo boy, also fingered were arrested.

The following day, Nov 26, 2013, the suspects were brought out in front of the police station and shot, while community leaders, invited by the police, and spectators, watched. The Igbo buy arrested with Daniel, was however, not shot.

The community is still living in fear as the police are said to still be making arrests based on the "confessions" of those they have killed. Among those arrested was one Mr. Anthony Stephen Inyang, president of Enwang Patriotic Club. He has been released, after the shop attendant in his shop had owned up to be the one that assisted one of the deceased suspects to get rid of his handcuff at an earlier arrest in March this year.

A lawyer, who represents one of the families in the matter, reacting to Weekend Insight request for a comment on the action, said it was morally and legally wrong for such execution. He said that even if those shot were criminals, the police had no right or justification to publicly execute them the way they did. He described as unfortunate the recourse to such a barbaric method of crime fighting, and called for a thorough investigation into the extra judicial murders.

Speaking to Weekend Insight on phone on the issue, the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Etim Dickson, said he was not aware of the incident and promised to find out what actually happened in Enwang.

Culled from Weekly Insight newspaper, Uyo.