By Frank Ulom
It was a tragic Christmas for a middle-aged lady named Miss Harmony Edemawan as her lifeless body was discovered in a septic tank (what is commonly referred to as soakaway) in Cross River State by the Nigeria Police.
CONVERSEER gathered that the act was allegedly committed by a 49-year-old man, Eyo Etim Bassey at Ikot Offiong Ambai Community in Akpabuyo Local Government Area, of the state.
While the deceased body was discovered in the early hours of Christmas day, December 25, 2022, Bassey was apprehended by a tactical unit of the Nigeria Police, Anti Cultism and Kidnapping Squad (ACKS), also known as the Dragon Squad.
Security sources said the Dragon Squad led by SP Ogini Chukwuma swung into action based report of the victim’s kidnap from her residence on Thursday, December 22, 2022, still at Ikot Offiong Ambai.
“Based on credible intelligence using undercover agents, the Dragon Squad swung in and arrested the suspect, Mr Eyo Etim Bassey for allegedly abducting the victim, killing her and dumping her corpse inside a soakaway since Thursday.
“When the Dragon Squad stormed the residence of the victim whose name was given as Miss Harmony Edemawan and found her lifeless body inside the soakaway, they arrested the suspect and then took the deceased body to the mortuary.
Further findings revealed that the suspect (Etim Bassey) borrowed money, about one million, two hundred thousand naira (N1.2m) from the victim (Harmony Edemawan). The suspect is also dating the victim’s niece, Ruth Edem 22, a 200-level student at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
A family source who spoke under anonymity said the victim, Harmony Edemawan, who is also a Lafarge (UNICEM) staff and the breadwinner of her family, only wanted to help the suspect, Etim Bassey by supporting him with some money to boost his palm oil business earlier this year.
The family source said: “My sister gave him the money in tranches earlier this year to enable him to boost his palm oil business, it’s about 1.2 million naira.
“It’s about a year and my sister needed to return the money to where she got it because it’s not her own but the suspect refused – instead, he turned the whole thing around, claiming he gave my sister a house document to sell, and my sister absconded with the proceeds of 9 million naira.
“I last saw my sister on Wednesday (December 21, 2022), then on Thursday when we spoke on the phone, she told me she was in the bathroom promising to call me back but I never heard from her again until the shocking news of her death on Christmas day”.
CP Sule Balarabe, Commissioner of Police in Cross River State who confirmed the news said they have a suspect in custody in connection to the abduction of a middle-aged lady whose remains were later discovered inside a toilet.
CP Balarabe said: “The Suspect (Eyo Etim Bassey) had earlier given false information that the victim (Harmony Edemawan) sold his property amounting to about 9 million naira and didn’t want to remit the same amount back to him
“So, he contacted some persons to abduct her in a bid to recover the money but she was killed and dumped inside the septic tank.
“We have recovered her body from the septic tank and deposited same at the mortuary and further investigation is ongoing to unravel the mystery and also arrest other accomplices involved”.