Inspector arrested for alleged murder of widow

TRACKING____A Police Inspector, Bassey Ikpe, attached to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, has been arrested for the alleged murder of a widow.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Odiko Macdon, said in a statement made available to journalists in Uyo, yesterday that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, ordered Ikpe’s arrest.

Macdon said that the commissioner had instructed the Deputy Commissioner, State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department (SCIID) to carry out thorough investigation into the matter.

The PPRO reiterated the command’s commitment to policing, with great deal of respect for human rights.

Macdon said that the decision of the police to finally look into the alleged murder was informed by the reports in some dailies and online media in the state.

He said: “The attention of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command has been drawn to publications in some dailies and online media to the effect that a police officer attached to the state police command, Inspector Bassey Ikpe, reportedly beat Mrs. Deborah Nkpenie to death on January 16.

“To authenticate this serious allegation, CP Imohimi Edgal, the state Commissioner of Police, has ordered the immediate arrest of the said inspector.”

A witness, who craved for anonymity, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the incident took place in the morning of January 16, following the invitation of the deceased by the policeman, who was an Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in an ongoing case.

Another witness, Mrs. Mfonobong Peter, a sister to the deceased, also explained that the said policeman had personally entered the bedroom of the deceased to forcibly dress her up.

Peter, according to NAN, said that the IPO went wild with the allegation that the deceased was lying about her state of health in order to escape being arraigned in court.

She said: “My late sister was beaten to death by Inspector Bassey Ikpe. He had threatened her repeatedly since this matter came up.

“My sister had waist pains arising from the dislocation she had while caring for her late husband. This made it difficult for her to move about freely.

“She had become almost bedridden because of the difficulty in movement. She was highly hypertensive due to the health complications that led to her husband’s death.

“But this policeman refused to heed the advice of the Deputy Commissioner of Police. I don’t know what personal interest he had in the matter.