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Policeman kills pregnant widow over argument
A pregnant widow, Mrs. Agnes Okon, became the latest victim of police brutality in Akwa Ibom State during an argument between a team of policemen attached to the Oron Area Command and her landlord. The incident happened on December 22, 2011.
CRIME DIGEST learnt that Okon, who was said to be living with a pastor after the death of her husband, was shot dead by one of the policemen for daring to interfere in the argument.

Eyewitnesses said the deceased was part of a crowd that gathered at 4 am outside No. 23, Nduonyi Street, Eyo Abasi in Oron Local Government Area to plead with the policemen not to arrest their landlord, Mr. Okokon Effiong, over an unpaid debt.

Effiong was said to have initially agreed to pay his creditor, a man known as Jerry, the sum of N39,000 as money owed him since January 15, 2011.
A source said that Okon had pleaded with the policemen to leave the landlord since the matter had already been reported to the police.
When all pleas for leniency failed to persuade the policemen, who had come to arrest Effiong armed with machetes, axes, and guns, they dragged him to their van.

The source said that at that point, one of the policemen went to where Okon was standing and shot her at point blank range.

In an interview with CRIME DIGEST, Effiong said he did not know what Okon had said that led to her murder in such a gruesome manner.
He said, "In the third week of November, precisely on Friday, around 9 pm, Jerry brought some policemen to my house to arrest me for the N39,000 contribution money I owed him. I was bathing when the policemen came into the bathroom and took me away to their station.

"When they asked what happened, I told them that it was about the contribution money I owed Jerry. The police advised me to find a way to pay the debt. My people came and bailed me at 12 pm on Saturday with the sum of N10,000. We pleaded with the police to reduce the fee to N5,000, but they refused and threatened to lock me up indefinitely if I failed to cooperate with them by paying the sum of N10,000.

"When I was released on bail, the police gave me till December 15 to pay part of the money. On that day (15 December), I gave the policeman N5,000. He told me that I should try and bring the remainder on January 15 so that Jerry would be paid off. I thanked him and left since he gave me up to January 15."
He said that few days later, precisely on December 22, Jerry returned in company with some people to ask him questions.
Effiong said, "I did not know that the people he came with were policemen because they were dressed in mufti. They asked what I did for a living. I told them that I grind beans and corn for akara and pap. But when the questions became more serious and intimidating and pointing to the debt I owed Jerry, I told them about a certain policeman that was handling the case.

"Immediately I said this, the other men who were walking behind me started beating and kicking me. They dragged me and beat me with machetes and some of my friends.

"When Okon, my tenant, came out to plead with the police to leave me, they refused and instead dragged me to their vehicle.

"I did not know what Okon said, when one of them, who was also dragging me, left me and went to the girl and shot her in the chest."

When he was contacted, the Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Onyekaozuru Orji, said the policeman in question had been dismissed and that he would be prosecuted for manslaughter soon.


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