A fight over a gift of N500 has resulted in the death of a 42-year-old man and attack on a police station at Kekoti community in Ajere area of Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The incident occurred at about 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, after a misunderstanding broke out between one Ayei Ibor and Ebino Ikpi over N500 said to have been given to them as a gift.
The misunderstanding resulted into a fight in which Ibor was stabbed and later confirmed dead, the spokesperson for the Cross Rivers Police Command, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, disclosed in a statement on Sunday in Calabar.
He confirmed that Ibor, was allegedly stabbed to death during a fight with one Ikpi at Kekoti, Ajere.
The Police spokesperson said Ikpi fled the scene immediately after the incident but was later arrested at about 8:40 a.m. at his hideout in Ajere-Ekori and taken to the Yakurr Police Division.
But the arrest triggered another crisis when some sympathisers mobilised and attacked the Ekori Police Division, demanding the release of the suspect.
He said the mob, on discovering that the suspect was not in the station, threw stones and other objects at the facility, damaging seven windows, the DPO/DCO office door, six
plastic chairs, a wall mirror, part of the roofing and the passenger-side glass of the DPO’s official vehicle.
He added that the residence of the Ajere Youth Leader, Omini Jacob, was also attacked over an allegation that he assisted the police in arresting the suspect.
Eitokpah said operatives later dispersed the crowd and restored normalcy, while reinforcement was drafted from the Area Command, Ugep, and the Violence and Cultism-Related Unit (VCRU), Ugep.
He said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ajo Ordue, had ordered the transfer of the murder suspect to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation and a manhunt for those who attacked the police facility.
The command urged residents to remain calm and law-abiding, warning that attacks on police formations and obstruction of criminal investigations would be dealt with in accordance with the law.