The Commissioner of Police in Cross River State, Gyogon Augustine Grimah, has declared an intense manhunt for 14 suspects implicated in the murder of Mrs Martina Itagbor. The victim was brutally maimed and set ablaze over allegations of witchcraft, in an act of jungle justice led by Christopher Sunday Mbey, a former aide to ex-state governor Ben Ayade.
The horrifying incident took place on Thursday in front of Itagbor’s church in the Old Netim Community of Akamkpa Local Government Area. Responding to the event, state governor Prince Bassey Otu demanded that the police apprehend those responsible, expressing his government’s intolerance for such acts of violence and barbarism.
In a statement released on Saturday, Commissioner Grimah asserted that the police force takes the issue of jungle justice very seriously.
The Commissioner added, “Those responsible, no matter how highly placed, will be arrested and prosecuted according to the laws of the land. We are going to treat them like the criminals that they are, and no stone would be left unturned on this matter. They can only run but won’t hide. Enough is enough. Jungle justice is not the solution.” He concluded by affirming that the police force will not rest until the culprits are apprehended.
