A midnight cemetery operation has sparked outrage in Akwa Ibom after a grave digger and the manager of a cemetery were arrested for allegedly exhuming a freshly buried corpse and stealing its casket to make money.
The shocking incident happened at Mbiokporo Cemetery in Nsit-Ibom Local Government Area, where two men were reportedly caught moving a casket away from the cemetery under the cover of darkness.
The bizarre operation was busted at about 11:30pm on August 3, 2026, after a vigilant member of the community spotted two men transporting a casket on an unregistered motorcycle.
Sensing something was terribly wrong, the vigilante confronted the men.
But instead of explaining where the casket came from, one of the suspects, identified as Effiong Asuquo, allegedly took to his heels.
His accomplice, Nsikak Effiong, was not so lucky. He was apprehended and handed over to the police.
And then came the shocking revelation.
During interrogation, Effiong allegedly confessed that he and Asuquo had sneaked into the cemetery, exhumed a freshly buried corpse and removed the body from its casket.
The alleged grave robbers then reportedly made away with the empty casket, intending to sell it for financial gain.
Police recovered the casket and the unregistered motorcycle allegedly used to transport it as detectives launched a deeper investigation into the bizarre cemetery operation.
But the biggest shock came two days later.
On August 5, police detectives arrested Elijah Matthew Edet, the manager of Mbiokporo Cemetery, at about 5pm.
According to the police, the cemetery boss allegedly admitted during interrogation that he conspired with the grave diggers to carry out the operation.
He reportedly claimed, however, that it was his first involvement in such criminal activity.
The development has now turned the investigation from a suspected midnight cemetery theft into an alleged wider conspiracy involving someone entrusted with managing the burial ground.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, disclosed the arrests in a statement issued to journalists in Uyo on Thursday.
She said the police had intensified efforts to track down Asuquo, who remains at large, while investigators continue to unravel the circumstances surrounding the alleged exhumation and theft.
The Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, described the incident as barbaric and sacrilegious, saying it constituted a gross violation of the dignity of the dead.
Azare ordered a comprehensive and intelligence-driven investigation, directing the police to identify, arrest and prosecute everyone found to be connected with the alleged crime.
He also praised the vigilante operative whose alert and quick intervention helped foil the suspects’ alleged attempt to escape with the stolen casket.
The police commissioner urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities, stressing the importance of timely information in preventing crime and helping security agencies apprehend criminals.
Meanwhile, the hunt continues for the fleeing suspect as detectives work to determine whether others were involved in the shocking midnight cemetery operation.
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