Police Arrest Cemetery Manager and Digger in Akwa Ibom

Police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested two men, including a cemetery manager, for allegedly exhuming a freshly buried corpse and stealing its casket for financial gain. A third suspect remains at large following the incident at Mbiokporo Cemetery in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area.

According to police spokesperson DSP Timfon John, the crime was uncovered on August 3, 2026, around 11:30 p.m. after a vigilant resident reported seeing two men transporting a casket on an unregistered motorcycle in the darkness. The resident confronted the men, leading to the immediate apprehension of one suspect, Nsikak Effiong, while his alleged accomplice, Effiong Asuquo, fled the scene.

During interrogation, Nsikak Effiong confessed that he and Asuquo had unlawfully exhumed a recently buried body, removed it from the casket, and stolen the coffin with the intention of selling it. Police recovered the empty casket and the unregistered motorcycle used to transport it.

A subsequent investigation led to a second arrest on August 5, 2026, around 5:00 p.m. Elijah Matthew Edet, the manager of Mbiokporo Cemetery, was taken into custody. John stated that Edet admitted to conspiring with the grave diggers...