A warrant officer with the Nigerian Army, Joseph Ekpenyong Okon, 50, has been shot dead by his elder brother.

The suspect, Okon Ekpenyong Okon, 60, was said to have taken the action as a way of protesting against the deceased’s decision to marry a new wife.

This has led operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Cross River State Police Command, to arrest the suspect, who is now helping with investigations into the incident. The victim and suspect are from Ono Ito Odukpani area of neighbouring Akwa Ibom State.

Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Henry Fadairo, who confirmed the incident, disclosed that the soldier was killed on January 24, following his decision to marry another woman identified as Ruth.

It was gathered that the late warrant officer had earlier married to a Liberian woman who now lives in Ohafia, Abia State, as his first wife.

“When the deceased went back to his base in Akwa Ibom, the elder brother, Okon Ekpenyong Okon, with other family members, wanted to pack out the luggage of the new wife. They abused her and this prompted her to call her husband to inform him of the threats from his family,” the CP disclosed.

As a result, the deceased was said to have rushed back home to settle the dispute. However, rather than the conflict being resolved, both brothers ended up in a scuffle.

It was further gathered that on the fateful day, the warrant officer was relaxing on a sofa waiting for his dinner around 10:00 p.m. after the elders in the family had settled the dispute between the two brothers when suddenly the suspect, Okon, allegedly hid in a nearby uncompleted building, from where he reportedly shot his younger brother in the forehead, as a result of which he died instantly.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the State CID, Mr Ganiyu Salami, said that the incident was immediately reported at Atan-Eki police station before the case was transferred to the SCID.

He said the police have recovered the dane gun used by the suspect to shoot his brother. The suspect told Saturday Sun: “I shot him over his decision to marry a second wife because we have been having conflict over the issue for some time. Whenever we quarrelled over the issue of his second wife, my late brother would break my dane gun and after that he would promise to buy another gun for me.”

He said he had to flee from the scene of the crime same night but the youths in the community chased him and arrested him before handing him over to the police.

“It was the devil that used me to kill my brother. I want my family to forgive me,” he added even as CP Fadairo stated that the suspect would soon be charged to court.

•Adapted from Saturday Sun. Photo shows Cross River CP, Henry Fadairo.

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