Charles Mkpang, the only survivor of the March 23 Police shooting.
By Anietie Akpan
The only survivor of the March 23, 2025 police shooting in Calabar, Cross River State, has cried of neglect, saying support from the police and state government has been limited.
The survivor, Charles Mkpang, a 46 year old artisan, said he has been abandoned by the authorities and is now struggling to survive and “I have two children. I cannot work. I need help from the government”.
Recall, on that faithful day, a police officer, Effiong Bassey said to be mentally unstable, went berserk and opened fire at harmless members of the public at Watt market just by the Atakpa Division Police Station, Calabar and killed two people. One person, a lady died on the spot while others were said to have died later in the hospital.
Narrating his ordeal, Mkpang said the bullet wounds left him with partial paralysis and a hole in his mouth that still affects his ability to eat and speak.
“If I drink water or eat, it comes out through my nose. I cannot lift my left hand or leg. I am living with pain every day”, he lamented.
Mkpang said after the initial surgery, he was moved to a stroke centre where he paid ₦18,000 daily for nearly three weeks.
Even though he has been discharged, Mkpang said continues to suffer from complications and the doctors recommended a second surgery, but due to lack of funds, he cannot go for it.
He said that since the incident only N200,000 has been given to him by the police as “my wife said that the Sunday of the incident that I was taken to the hospital, the Police AIG, gave her N50,000 and the next day he sent N100,000 before a woman who said she was a police officer from the command brought ₦50,000. Aside from that, we have been on our own”.
In addition, Mkpang said he received the sum of “₦400,000 from the State Governor’s wife and ₦500,000 from a private individual called VeryDarkMan” .
Much of the money given to him were spent on drugs, including one that costs ₦42,000 for just a few days’ supply.
He said, “I have sent messages to Hon. Stanley, the House of Assembly Member representing Calabar Municipality who promised to take the matter to court, but nothing has happened”.
Mkpang who is a window fabricator by trade, stated that he has shut down his business due to his condition and his wife, a primary school teacher, now shoulders the family’s burden alongside donations from old schoolmates who fund a physiotherapist for him.
Despite promises, the victim says no government body has taken up responsibility for his treatment or rehabilitation. “I have two children. I cannot work. I need help from the government,” Mkpang pleaded.
Commenting,the Cross River State Commissioner of Police (CP), Olusegun Omosanyin in a Whattsapp interview, said, “the incident happened before i took over as CP and it was during the time of outgone AIG zone 6 AIG Bala Mustapha Mohammed.
“We forwarded the requests of both the deceased and the injured to the state government but it seems the government believes, it’s police negligent act and responsibility”.
However , he said, “I gave N100,000 as my support and the retired AIG zone 6 equally gave N150.000 to support the treatment of the injured person. Effort to commit government of Cross River state to shoulder the burden of treatment is yet to yield result. And the family of the suspect officer who fired is financially incapacitate”
Omosanyin confirmed that the officer involved in the shooting incident has been dismissed from the force and is currently in custody”.
He also confirmed that disciplinary action was taken against the officer’s wife, who allegedly concealed her husband’s mental health condition.
“Police set disciplinary trial in motion immediately after the incident and have reduced the wife of the suspect who fired in rank for concealing the mental state condition and medication of the husband from police authorities.”
