Officers of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have exhumed the body of 26-year-old Nsikak Joshua after he allegedly died from a brutal assault in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area.
Detectives have also arrested two suspects and are searching for two others linked to the killing.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Timfon John, confirmed the development in a statement issued in Uyo on Tuesday.
Timfon said the victim’s 52-year-old father reported the incident to police on July 14, 2026. He accused four men of beating his only son to death.
The father identified the suspects as Otobong Nelson, also known as “Efok Ikid,” Inemesit Robert, Utibe Clement and Victor Robert.He told investigators that the suspects brought his son’s body to the family home after the assault.
They arrived with spades and forced him to choose a burial spot. The men dug a shallow grave and buried the body inside the compound. They also warned him not to report the incident to the police.Police launched an investigation immediately after receiving the report. Officers arrested Otobong Nelson and Utibe Clement on July 17.
During questioning, Nelson allegedly admitted that the victim appeared before him over claims that he threatened a neighbour with a machete.
Police said Nelson confessed that he instructed the other suspects to beat Joshua with sticks. The assault allegedly caused injuries that led to his death.
Investigators also said the suspects told the victim’s father that his son died in a hit-and-run accident. They persuaded him not to take the body to a mortuary before burying it.
Police later exhumed Joshua’s body and moved it to a morgue for preservation and an autopsy.
Commissioner of Police Baba Azare condemned the alleged killing and described it as barbaric. He assured residents that investigators would identify everyone involved. He also pledged to prosecute anyone connected to the assault, murder, witness intimidation or concealment of evidence.
