A man, Edet Stephen Asuquo, 28, has been arrested by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for killing a pregnant woman for ritual purpose.
He was arrested by security operatives while four other culprits in connection with the crime are being trailed by the police.
The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Murtala Mani who paraded the suspect at the State Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan-abia said the crime was committed at Ikot Otu, Mbiabo village in Itu local government area of the state.
Mr. Mani who briefed reporters through the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Cordelia Nwawe, ASP said the attention of the Police was drawn to the incident by the brother and sister of the suspect.
The Police Commissioner expressed worry that the family of the deceased could not be traced as the body has been deposited at the morgue urging members of the public with missing pregnant woman to come to the state police headquarters for identification of the corpse.
Mani said the suspect was going to be prosecuted and would face the full weight of the law as nobody had the right to take the life of any person.
Confessing to the crime, the suspect, Asuquo said five of them with four now on the run were hired by the Chairman of the village council, Ikot Otu, Mbiabo village whose name was given as Chief Okon Effiong to search for a pregnant woman to be killed for a ritual.
According to him, the heads of the pregnant woman and the foetus in the womb were needed by the chairman of the village council for the ritual purpose in order for him to retain his position as chairman in the forth-coming election into the village council.
The suspect said the Chairman of the village head council, equally on the run had promised to pay them the sum of N50, 000 each if they succeed to kill a pregnant woman and the parts of the body required for the ritual provided.
The suspect who normally deals on or sells popular sea animals in the area called oysters said he lured the deceased who came to buy the oysters in the village to follow him to the house after buying from the market in order to sell more to her.
The innocent woman who he said used to come from the Northern part of Cross River State to buy the sea animals was overpowered by the suspects, dragged into the room where severe machete cuts were inflicted on her and the body dumped in a nearby bush pending when the parts would be removed.
The brother and sister of the suspect learning of what their brother had done, contacted the Police in the area who effected the arrest.
In another development, six children have been rescued by the Police and three suspects arrested in connection with human trafficking.
The children and the suspects who hail from Eyo-Abasi village in Oron local government were intercepted in a luxury bus going to Lagos from Akwa Ibom State.
Although the suspects denied the crime, they are presently being detained at the State Police Headquarters for further investigations.
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