Man arrested over alleged arson named mother as instigator – Police

The police in Cross River State arrested a 41-year-old man, Bassey Ekpo, for allegedly setting fire to a house at 8 Miles, Calabar.

The police said Mr Ekpo was arrested on Saturday after the occupant, Ekemini Stephen, reported the incident at the Ikpa Omin Police Division.

In a statement on Saturday, the police spokesperson in Cross River, Sunday Eitokpah, said Mr Stephen was in church when a neighbour called to inform him that his residence had been set ablaze.

The neighbour, with assistance from other residents, apprehended the suspect and took him to the police station, Mr Eitokpah, an assistant superintendent of police said.

Suspect allegedly names mother

The police said that during preliminary questioning, Mr Ekpo allegedly claimed that his 61-year-old mother sent him to set the house ablaze.

The woman, whose name the police did not disclose, is currently at large.

According to the statement, police operatives visited the scene, documented the incident, and took photographs as part of the investigation.

“The Command assures members of the public that anyone found culpable will face the full weight of the law,” Mr Eitokpah said.

This latest incident adds to a series of crime and violence-related cases recently investigated by the police in Cross River.

On 30 August, the command commenced an investigation into the deaths of two unidentified men allegedly attacked by a mob in Calabar South after they were suspected of robbery. The men’s remains were evacuated from the scene for preservation.

While announcing the investigation, the police warned residents against jungle justice and urged them to hand suspected offenders over to law enforcement authorities instead of taking the law into their own hands.

The command also recently investigated the death of a 29-year-old man, Emmanuel Effiong Ita, whose body was found along the Target–Udy King axis of Calabar, and arrested a man for the alleged murder of his six-year-old stepdaughter.

In the latest arson case, the police did not disclose the motive for the alleged attack or the relationship between the suspect, his mother, and the occupant of the affected residence.