Edgal’s order, which was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Odiko Macdon, followed reports about the woman’s death on Thursday, January, 16, 2020.
He directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department to determine the authenticity of the reports and make his findings known for action.
The statement read in part, “The attention of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command has been drawn to reports in some dailies and online media that a policeman attached to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, one Inspector Bassey Ikpe, reportedly beat up one Mrs Deborah Nkpenie to death on Thursday, January 16, 2020.
“To authenticate this serious allegation, the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Police Command, Imohimi Edgal, has ordered the immediate arrest of the said inspector.
“The CP has instructed the Deputy Commissioner, State Criminal Investigation Department, to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.”
According to the statement, Edgal condemned the attitude of the police officer and reiterated the command’s commitment to policing with great respect for human rights.
It was gathered that the deceased, who was hypertensive, was invited to the command headquarters in Ikot Akpanabia over a property case involving her late husband by Ikpe, who was investigating the matter.
The deceased’s sister, Mfonobong Peter, stated that the inspector went wild on hearing that Deborah was sick, adding that he allegedly hit her head against the iron bar of the tricycle that brought her to the station.
Mfonobong stated, “My late sister was beaten to death by Inspector Bassey Ikpe. He had threatened her repeatedly ever since this matter came up.
“My sister had waist pain arising from the dislocation she suffered while caring for her late husband. This made it difficult for her to move about freely. She was urinating and defecating in her room because of the difficulty in movement. She was also hypertensive.
“But this policeman refused to heed the advice of the Deputy Commissioner of Police. I don’t know what interest he had in the matter.
“He had invited her to come to the police station so that she could be arraigned on a fictitious criminal charge against the advice of the Deputy Commissioner of Police the previous day.
“He beat my sister to death. Let Justice be served.”
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