Residents of Ugep in the Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State were thrown into shock on Sunday after a 23-year-old man allegedly killed his father by slitting his throat with a machete shortly after the victim returned from church.
The incident reportedly occurred around O3 Palace in the Usaja area of Ikpakapit Ward. The suspect, identified as Bassey Ubi, was said to have attacked his father inside their residence moments after the man arrived home from church.
Eyewitnesses said the victim was inside the house when his son struck him on the neck with a machete, inflicting a deep wound that led to his instant death.
Angered by the incident, residents reportedly attempted to lynch the suspect before police officers arrived at the scene and rescued him from the mob.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Cross River State Police Command, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, said preliminary information suggested the suspect may have been under the influence of illicit drugs at the time of the attack.
“The unfortunate incident occurred in the early hours of today. The suspect, Bassey Ubi, aged 23, is believed to be a drug addict, and from the information available to us, the influence of drugs likely made him act in that manner,” Eitokpah said.
He added that the deceased had just returned from church when he was attacked by his son inside their home, describing the injury as a deep machete cut to the neck.
Eitokpah disclosed that the suspect sustained injuries from the mob before police intervention.
“If not for the timely intervention of the police, the suspect would have been killed. He was first taken for medical attention and thereafter detained in our facility for further investigation,” he said.
The police spokesperson also revealed that family members had taken the body of the deceased to a morgue in Ugep before officers arrived at the scene.
He noted that the Cross River State Police Command, under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, CP Rashid Afegbua, strongly condemns jungle justice and urged members of the public to report suspected criminal activities to the police rather than taking the law into their hands, warning that jungle justice remains a criminal offence punishable under the law.
