Fatal clash erupts in Cross River as individual fatally shoots two agriculturists in marijuana plantation disagreement

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…dumps bodies in River

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By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

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The Cross River State Police Command have arrested a 57-year-old man, Mr. Udo Samuel Sunday, in connection with the alleged murder of two farmers whose bodies were reportedly thrown into a river following a dispute over an illegal cannabis plantation in Odukpani Local Government Area.

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The Cross River State Police Command, in a press release on Monday, said the incident came to light on June 5, 2026, when Mrs. Regina Akan Patrick, 28, reported at a police station that her husband, Mr. Akan Patrick Mbang, 31, had been missing since May 29, 2026.

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According to the command’s spokesman, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, the deceased left his home on Lagos Street, Awi, at 8:00 a.m. on that date for his farm at Akpong II, Etankpini, and never returned.

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“Before his disappearance, the victim had asked his wife to send him airtime to reach the suspect, who had invited him to a meeting at Akpong II,” the release stated.

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Detectives who visited the scene uncovered that Sunday allegedly operates an illegal cannabis farm in the area, and that Mbang, alongside another man identified only as “Imo,” had been demanding financial settlement from him over the farm.

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“Preliminary findings indicate that both victims were lured to Akpong II Village on the night of May 29, 2026, where they were restrained before their bodies were allegedly dumped in a nearby river,” the command said.

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The state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Rashid Afegbua, who described the development as deeply troubling, vowed that the command would leave no stone unturned.

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“We are committed to bringing the full weight of the law to bear on anyone found culpable in this heinous act. The sanctity of human life is non-negotiable,” he said.

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The suspect has since been arrested and the case transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.

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Search and recovery operations for the bodies remain ongoing.

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