By Emmanuel Ogoigbe
Two middle-aged men have reportedly died following a violent machete fight in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The incident occurred over the weekend at Akpap-Okoyong community, near Calabar, where both men allegedly inflicted deep machete wounds on each other during a heated confrontation.
An eyewitness and resident of the community, Ettenma, identified the deceased as Edet and Effiong.
According to Ettenma, the altercation began when Effiong stormed Edet’s residence armed with a machete, accusing him of stealing a bunch of plantain from his farm.
“Effiong had gone to his farm and discovered that a bunch of plantain was missing. While complaining loudly, someone told him they had seen Edet carrying a bunch of plantain from the direction of the farm,” Ettenma said.
He explained that Effiong, angered by the allegation, went to confront Edet at his home.
“In the ensuing argument, Effiong used the machete he was carrying to cut Edet. Edet then picked up a machete that was lying beside him and struck Effiong in return,” he said.
According to the eyewitness, before members of the community could intervene, both men had already sustained deep machete wounds.
“They were later rushed to the Akpap-Okoyong health centre, but lack of facilities, drugs and equipment hampered effective treatment,” Ettenma added.
He said the victims lost a large quantity of blood and eventually died due to complications arising from excessive blood loss and dehydration.
The tragic incident has thrown the entire community into mourning.
When contacted, the Cross River State Police Command spokesperson, ASP Irene Ugbo Akata, confirmed the incident and said investigations were ongoing.
“The command is investigating to ascertain the cause of such a brutal attack by two men on each other with machetes without timely intervention from other members of the community,” she said.
