The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has said that a manhunt has started in search of a petrol dealer who lit university student Enwongo Akpan on fire after an argument in the state's Obio Akpa, Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
Enwongo Akpan, a 200-level philosophy student at the Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU), Obio Akpa campus, allegedly paid N500 for gasoline from the roadside petrol dealer.
According to what was learned, when Akpan put petrol in his generator's fuel tank, it didn't produce any electricity. As a result, Akpan returned to the roadside petrol dealer for an explanation, thinking the petrol was tainted.
The disagreement that developed from the incident proceeded to an exchange of words during which the petrol dealer doused Akpan in petrol and lit him ablaze.
Eyewitness Idongesit Akpan described how the dealer gathered the petrol, poured it on his victim, lighted matches, and set him ablaze as others ran for safety.
Akpan claimed that the man was saved by villagers and students, who took him to Mercy Hospital in Abak for immediate care and then informed Prof Nse Essien, the university's vice chancellor, about the occurrence.
The incident caught the attention of local authorities, including former OrukAnam Chairman Prince Ubong Idiong, who convinced students to forgo retaliatory violence. Later, for better care, the victim was sent to another hospital in Uyo, according to him.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Odiko Mcdon, confirmed the event and added that the police were looking for the suspect who had fled the crime scene before they arrived.
I am aware of what happened. The suspect fled the scene, but the police are pursuing him, and he will undoubtedly be charged, the officer said.
Enwongo has been transferred from Mercy Hospital, Abak to UUTH, Uyo for necessary medical care, the Akwa Ibom State University Students' Press said in a statement, urging students to remain calm.
We appreciate Prof. Nse Essien, Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Monday Dickson, Dean of Students Affairs, and Hon. Sampson Idiong's prompt action in ensuring immediate security measures against the offender. As the Vice-Chancellor, Dean of Students Affairs, and Village Head have brought things under control, we urge the student community to maintain calm.
We also beg the Akwa Ibom State Government to adopt appropriate security measures to protect the students in the Obio Akpa community since confrontations between students and locals have turned into a recurrent and uncontrollable occurrence.