By Frank Ulom
CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – One of the victims of the police shooting in Calabar, Cross River State, Mrs Ijeoma Wilson Obot, has been abandoned in the mortuary, 105 days after she was killed by an officer of the Nigeria Police.
Mrs Obot (late), a 50-year-old hair stylist, was shot to death by Inspector Bassey Effiong, a serving officer attached to Atakpa Police Division, on 23rd March 2025, close to the station at Watt Market, while returning from the market.
One would have thought her remains would be resting in the grave, but she is currently in the mortuary three months after the deadly incident.
Her family has accused the authorities of abandoning them, alleging that despite early visits and promises from the government and police officials, no financial or legal assistance has been provided to the family.
The deceased’s children noted that their mother’s body remains in the mortuary due to a lack of funds for burial.
Her son, Promise Wilson Obot, said, “We were visited by the Deputy Governor, the Chief of Staff, and the Commissioner of Police. They all made promises, but since then, we’ve been left on our own.”
He said he reached out to the AIG on several occasions, but he was told to visit so and so until he got fed up and decided not to call him again.
Her daughter, Miracle Obot, added that the family received ₦50,000 from the then Assistant Inspector General of Zone 6, AIG Bala Mustapha Mohammed, and ₦80,000 from a local lawmaker to help deposit the body in the morgue. “No further support has followed,” she said.
Recall that the police stated that the officer responsible for the shooting was mentally unstable. Former Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Olusegun Omosanyin, confirmed that Inspector Effiong had been dismissed from service, charged to court, and is currently on remand. He also said the officer’s wife was demoted for allegedly hiding her husband’s medical condition from authorities.
However, the family of the deceased strongly disputes the police’s claim. According to them, the shooting stemmed from a dispute between the officer and his DPO over a ₦20 million operation-related payment. They alleged that the officer, during a police interview, admitted being angry over receiving only ₦500,000 and not his agreed share.
“If he was mentally ill, he should not have been given a rifle or sent on duty,” said Promise. “This was not mental illness. It was a dispute over money that turned deadly.
A call has been put across to the police. We await the action of the Cross River State Command on this matter.
Converseer reports that a survivor of the shooting, Mr Charles Nkpang, has also been abandoned whose bullet wounds left him with partial paralysis and a hole in his mouth that still affects his ability to eat and speak.
