By Deborah Nnamdi
Residents of Calabar, the Cross River State capital, woke up on Wednesday to the sight of another lifeless body, discovered along the Mbukpa–Eyo Ita axis.
The unidentified young man, whose corpse bore visible bruises and bloodstains, was found in the early hours of the morning. The discovery marks the second such incident within a week; a decomposing body was recovered around the Marian area of the city last week.
Eyewitnesses suggested that the victim may have been a suspected thief overpowered by neighborhood youths. The incident has fueled growing fears over the rising wave of crime and cases of jungle justice in parts of the metropolis.
Some residents linked the spate of dumped bodies to the activities of a notorious group of young men locally referred to as “Iron Condemned.”
“These boys have been terrorizing homes, stealing electric wires, soup pots, aluminum, metals, and even old televisions,” said Etetim Young, a youth leader in the community.
However, others expressed concern over the resort to jungle justice. One eyewitness, Agnes Akpan, noted that many residents no longer trust the police to handle suspects effectively.
“People feel unsafe handing criminals to the police because they get released too soon. Those who reported them are then at risk,” she said.
In response, Police Public Relations Officer Irene Ugbo reiterated the command’s stance against jungle justice, warning residents that such acts are criminal.
“We don’t encourage jungle justice in any way. Suspects must always be handed over to the police for legal action, not killed. What if they kill an innocent person?” she cautioned.
