The early morning calm around Ekpo Abasi, near Yellow Duke Street in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, was shattered on Sunday, August 30, 2026, when an allegation of mobile phone theft triggered a violent mob action that left two suspected armed robbers dead.
What began, according to eyewitnesses, as an alleged phone-snatching incident quickly escalated into a deadly confrontation, as angry youths reportedly descended on the two men, accusing them of belonging to a robbery gang said to have been terrorising residents in the area.
By the time security operatives arrived at the scene, the two suspects had been fatally attacked and beaten. Their bodies were later found lying lifeless at the scene and evacuated for preservation as police authorities commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The incident, once again, brought to the fore the growing tension between residents who say they have been subjected to repeated cases of phone theft and robbery, and the dangers posed by jungle justice, in which suspects are punished by angry mobs before they can be subjected to investigation and prosecution.
A resident of the area, who identified himself as Bassey Etim, said the incident followed an alleged attempt by the suspects to snatch a mobile phone from a resident.
