The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested the manager of Mbiokporo Cemetery and another suspect over the alleged unlawful exhumation of a freshly buried corpse and theft of its casket.
The police said the suspects allegedly dug up the grave of a recently interred person, removed the corpse from the casket and attempted to sell the casket for financial gain.
The command disclosed that the incident occurred at about 11:30 p.m. on August 3, following a report by a vigilant resident who spotted two men conveying a casket on an unregistered motorcycle under suspicious circumstances.
According to the police, the resident challenged the suspects, prompting one of them, identified as Effiong Asuquo, to flee, while the second suspect, Nsikak Effiong, was apprehended and handed over to security operatives.
During interrogation, Nsikak allegedly confessed that he and his accomplice exhumed the corpse from a fresh grave before stealing the casket with the intention of selling it.
Police said the empty casket and the motorcycle allegedly used to transport it were recovered as exhibits.
The command added that further investigation led to the arrest of the cemetery manager, Elijah Matthew Edet, on August 5.
According to the police, Edet allegedly admitted during interrogation that he conspired with gravediggers to carry out the act, claiming it was his first involvement in such an offence.
The police, however, said efforts were ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspect.
Condemning the incident, the Commissioner of Police described the alleged act as “barbaric, sacrilegious and morally indefensible.”
The commissioner said the crime amounted to a gross violation of the dignity of the dead, the sanctity of burial grounds and the cultural and religious values cherished by society.
The command assured residents that all those connected with the incident would be apprehended and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
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