Following the gruesome murder of an 18-year-old boy believed to be the victim of a ritual killing near the swampy banks of the Calabar River, behind the Cross River Basin Authority in Ikot Effanga, Calabar Municipality, a wave of fear and panic has gripped residents of the city.
The victim, identified as Daniel Ekanem, a native of Ikot Offiong in Odukpani LGA and resident of the Lemna community in Calabar Municipality, was reportedly last seen on August 14, 2025.
His decomposing body was, however, discovered five days later, on August 19, during a frantic search mounted by his family.
When the remains were found, his head had been severed from the body, raising strong suspicion of ritual murder.
Family members told journalists that Daniel had gone to harvest vegetables in the swamp before he went missing.
His headless corpse, later found in the same area, has not only devastated the community but also sparked renewed fears of ritual killings in Calabar.
Commercial and farming activities in the swamps have since been grounded as a result of the fears, as farmers and residents fear for their own safety.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Rashid Afegbua, has confirmed the murder, describing the killing as tragic. He commiserated with the victim’s family, assuring that investigations were ongoing.
He promised that “justice will be served.”
He disclosed that tactical units of the Command, including the Dragon Squad and the Ikot Omin Division, have been deployed to pursue credible leads.
Meanwhile, leaders of Ikot Effanga and neighboring Ikot Enebong communities, where the corpse was discovered, have pledged full cooperation with security operatives to unravel those behind what many now fear may be the latest case of ritual killing in the state.
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