File photo

 

Family sources said the victim who is the breadwinner of her family only wanted to help the suspect by supporting him with some money to boost his palm oil business earlier this year.

 

A man who tried to avoid repaying N1.2 million loan has killed the person who loaned him the money in Cross River state.

 

The 49-year-old man identified as Eyo Etim Bassey was arrested by the police after he allegedly organized the abduction of his girlfriend's relative, Harmony Edemawen, and then killing her and dumping her body inside a septic tank.

 

The deceased was abducted from her home at Ikot Offiong Ambai in Akpabuyo LGA of the state on December 22, 2022. Investigations by the Anti Cultism and Kidnapping Squad, ACKS, a tactical Unit of the Cross River state Police Command led to the arrest of the suspect. A search by the police led to the discovery of the lifeless body of the deceased inside the septic tank. Her body was later taken to the mortuary.

 

Confirming the incident, the state Commissioner of Police,  CP Sule Balarabe, said 

 

“The suspect had earlier given false information that the victim sold his property amounting to about 9 million naira and didn’t want to remit the same amount back to him. So he contacted some persons to abduct her ( Harmony ) in a bid to recover the money, she was killed and dumped inside the septic tank.

 

We have recovered her body from the Septic Tank and deposited same at the Mortuary and further investigation is ongoing to unravel the mystery and also arrest other accomplices involved."

 

However, police investigations showed that the suspect, who he is in a relationship with the victim's niece, Ruth Edem, a  22-year-old 200-level UNICAL student, had borrowed about 1.2 million naira from the victim,

 

Family sources said the victim who is the breadwinner of her family only wanted to help the suspect by supporting him with some money to boost his palm oil business earlier this year.

 

“My sister gave him the money in tranches and it’s about 1.2 million naira, earlier this year to enable him to boost his palm oil business.

 

It’s about a year and my sister needed to return the money he borrowed back from where she got it , because it’s not her own, but the suspect refused instead he turned the whole thing around claiming he gave my sister a house document to sell, and my sister absconded with the proceeds of 9 million.

 

I last saw my sister on Wednesday, 21st December, then on Thursday we spoke on phone, but she told me she was in the bathroom promising to call me back, but I never heard from her again until, the shocking news of her death on Christmas day'' a family member who spoke on condition of anonymity told Vanguard