Three months after a tragic shooting incident allegedly carried out by a mentally unstable police officer in Calabar,Cross River State, one of the victims, Charles Mkpang, says he has been abandoned by the authorities and is struggling to survive.

On March 23, 2025, a police officer identified as Inspector Effiong Bassey opened fire at the Atakpa Divisional Police Station and its surroundings. Four persons were shot; three died, and Mkpang, 46, was the only survivor.

According to Mkpang, the bullet wounds left him with partial paralysis and a hole in his mouth that still affects his ability to eat and speak. ?If I drink water or eat, it comes out through my nose. I cannot lift my left hand or leg. I am living with pain every day,? he told reporters.

After initial surgery, Mkpang was moved to a stroke centre where he paid ?18,000 daily for nearly three weeks. Though discharged, he continues to suffer from complications. He said doctors recommended a second surgery, but he lacks the funds.

Since the incident, Mkpang says support from the police and government has been limited. ?My wife said that on the Sunday of the incident when I was being taken to the hospital, the Police AIG gave her N50,000 and the next day he sent N100,000 before a woman who said she was a police officer from the command brought ?50,000. Aside from that, we have been on our own,? he narrated.

The survivor, a window fabricator by trade, has shut down his business due to his condition. His wife, a primary school teacher, now shoulders the family?s burden alongside donations from old schoolmates, who fund a physiotherapist for him.

Mkpang said he received ?400,000 from the governor?s wife and ?500,000 from a private individual called VeryDarkMan. He spends most of it on drugs, including one that costs ?42,000 for just a few days? supply. ?I have sent messages to Hon. Stanley, the House of Assembly Member representing Calabar Municipality, who promised to take the matter to court, but nothing has happened,? he said.

Reacting to the claims in a WhatsApp interview, the Commissioner of Police, Cross River State Command, Olusegun Omosanyin, said all efforts to make the state government shoulder the burden of treatment for the survivor have yet to yield results.

?The incident happened before I took over as CP, and it was during the time of outgoing AIG Zone 6, AIG Bala Mustapha Mohammed.

?We forwarded the requests of both the deceased and the injured to the state government, but it seems the government believes it is a police negligent act and responsibility. The shooter has been dismissed from service and charged to court. He is on remand at Calabar Correctional Centre.?

?I gave N100,000 as my support and the retired AIG Zone 6 equally gave N150,000 to support the treatment of the injured person. Efforts to commit the government of Cross River State to shoulder the burden of treatment are yet to yield results. And the family of the suspect/officer who fired is financially incapacitated.?

He confirmed the officer involved has been dismissed from the force and is currently in custody. He noted the shooting occurred before he assumed office, during the tenure of former AIG Bala Mohammed.

He also confirmed disciplinary action was taken against the officer?s wife, who allegedly concealed her husband?s mental health condition. The CP said efforts to get the Cross River State Government to cover the victim?s medical bills have so far not been successful.

?Police set disciplinary trial in motion immediately after the incident and have reduced the wife of the suspect who fired in rank for concealing the mental state condition and medication of the husband from police authorities.?

Despite promises, the victim says no government body has taken up responsibility for his treatment or rehabilitation. ?I have two children. I cannot work. I need help from the government,? Mkpang pleaded. (The Guardian)

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