A middle-aged ‘patent medicine dealer’ identified as Ofofon has been arrested by security operatives following the alleged killing of a young woman in the Afokang area of Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Residents of Afokang Road said the suspect was apprehended in the early hours of Wednesday after local vigilante members reportedly discovered him attempting to wash away bloodstains allegedly linked to the crime.
According to neighbours, the incident is believed to have occurred around midnight on Tuesday inside the suspect’s apartment.
Residents said traces of blood were still visible in a drainage channel in front of the building when news of the incident spread, attracting scores of onlookers to the area on Wednesday morning.
Witnesses alleged that the victim had visited the suspect’s residence in the company of another young woman and a young man.
They claimed the young man escaped during the attack and raised the alarm.
Several residents said they had long harboured suspicions about the suspect, alleging that screams were frequently heard from his apartment at night.
One resident, Mr Umoren David, alleged that the suspect attempted to dispose of parts of the victim’s remains before returning to the area, where he was intercepted by vigilante members.
“It was when he returned around 2 a.m. and was trying to wash away bloodstains that the vigilante caught him,” David claimed, adding that residents believe the suspect may have been involved in similar acts in the past.
Another resident, Ms Mmakamba, alleged that the suspect had on several occasions attempted to lure young women in the neighbourhood, including herself, to visit him.
She expressed relief that she had never accepted such invitations.
Tension gripped the area as hundreds of residents and passersby gathered near the suspect’s ‘patent medicine store’ following news of the incident.
The crowd was later addressed by Mr Steve Umo, who identified himself as a security adviser in the area, and officers from the Mbukpa Police Division.
Umo confirmed that the suspect and other persons believed to be connected with the case had been taken into custody.
He assured residents that security agencies were conducting a thorough investigation and that anyone found culpable would be arrested and prosecuted.
The spokesperson of the Cross River State Police Command, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, said an official statement would be issued.