By Ogar Monday Follow @ogar_monday
The police command in Cross River State has confirmed the escape of a murder suspect, Essien Ita from its custody.
Mr. Ita was alleged to have been involved in the murder of a traditional ruler, Eyo Eyo Bassey in 2017 and was held in custody at the Bakassi Police Divisional headquarters.
The police spokesperson, Mrs. Irene Ugbo told CrossRiverWatch that a crack team has been set on his trail and promised that the suspect will be apprehended soon.
“We are on his trail and we have lead that is giving us useful information and we assure the people that he will soon be rearrested and made to face the full weight of the law,” said Ugbo, an Assistant Superintendent of Police.
Mr. Ita, a native of Ikot – Nkpo Anang was, alongside six others, arrested shortly after the murder of Mr. Bassey, a village head of Ikot Obot in 2017.
He is said to have been granted bail but was rearrested when he visited the brother of the deceased to threaten him.
“When he was granted bail, he went back to the younger brother of Chief Eyo Eyo Bassey who was threaten his life and vowed that he will make sure he too was also killed like his elder brother.
“The younger brother to the deceased reported the matter to the police and he was re-arrested, but as the police was planning to charge him to court he escaped from their custody.
“As I speak, the officers on duty have been given ultimatum to re-arrest and provide the suspect on or before Thursday or face disciplinary actions,” said a source who preferred anonymity.
The deceased, a 52 year old staff of the Audit Department in the Cross River State Ministry of Finance was allegedly assassinated by his assailants in his farm near a Primary school at Ikot Obot late last year over an alleged land tussle between him and some people in the community.
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