The head of a police officer, Inspector Michael James, has been discovered at a village shrine in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State. The police yesterday paraded a 54-year-old man, Ophot Valentine Ebani, said to be the chief priest and village head of Uyanga and seven others suspected to have killed James and taken his head to the village shrine.
The inspector was killed at Uyanga on December 25, 2017, and beheaded during the festive period when Uyanga and Ojoor communities, fought a communal war where lives and property worth millions of naira were destroyed. James, who was attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Enugu, had taken his family on a visit to his in-laws at Ojoor village, a neighbouring village to Uyanga which is on the Calabar-Ogoja Road but was beheaded by rioting youths in the village. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hafiz Mohammed Inuwa, said the late officer visited his in-law, ASP Dominic Umoh, at Ojoor village and needed to buy fuel into his Sienna car.
He said: “While buying fuel, Uyanga youths, without provocation, attacked, killed and beheaded him while the corpse is yet to be seen. However, his severed head has been recovered at Uyanga shrine.
The youth also seized the late inspector’s AK47 rifle, with double magazines and set ablaze his Sienna vehicle.” Inuwa added that investigation led to the arrest of Isaac James Akpan, Benjamin Philip Abakum, Patrick Effiong Edet and Famous Mfon Archibong.
Others are Effiong Peter Odu, Ndifon Arong and Wisdom Bassey Inok, while items allegedly recovered from them include one locally-made pistol, 17 empty cartridges, singlet of the deceased and one human skull.
