Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested a 42-year-old man for allegedly entering a palace while armed with a locally manufactured pistol in Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, confirmed the development in a statement issued in Uyo on Saturday.
According to the statement, the suspect, identified as Bassey Udo Idiong, was apprehended on July 1, 2026, at about 9:00 p.m. after the police received a distress report.
John explained that the Command acted on credible intelligence, prompting officers to swiftly deploy to the location where the suspect was successfully disarmed and taken into custody.
The police also recovered the locally made pistol allegedly found in his possession.
The statement partly read, “The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has recorded another significant operational success in its sustained campaign against criminality with the arrest of a suspected armed criminal and the recovery of a locally made pistol in Essien Udim Local Government Area.”
Providing details of the incident, the spokesperson said, “On 1st July, 2026, at about 9:00 p.m., a distress report was relayed from the Command Control Room, Uyo, from one man (name withheld) that one Bassey Udo Idiong, a 42-year-old male from the same community, had stormed his palace armed with a locally made pistol and threatened to shoot him.”
She added that officers responded immediately after receiving the report.
According to the statement, “Acting swiftly on the intelligence, operatives of the Command mobilised immediately to the scene. The suspect was professionally disarmed without incident and taken into custody, while the locally made pistol was recovered as an exhibit.”
The Command noted that the prompt intervention prevented what could have escalated into a fatal incident and reaffirmed its commitment to responding decisively to credible security threats across the state.
John disclosed that the suspect remains in police custody while investigators work to determine the origin of the recovered firearm, establish the motive behind the alleged threat and identify whether other individuals or criminal networks were involved.
She stated that the suspect would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
The police spokesperson also revealed that the Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, commended the officers involved for their professionalism and swift response.
According to her, the commissioner reaffirmed the Command’s “commitment to sustaining intelligence-led policing and targeted operations aimed at eliminating illegal firearms, violent criminals and other forms of criminality across the state.”
While stressing that security is a shared responsibility, Azare encouraged residents to continue providing the police with timely, credible and actionable intelligence, assuring them that all information received would be handled confidentially.
He also warned criminal elements that the Command would continue to pursue anyone attempting to undermine peace and security in Akwa Ibom State, reaffirming its resolve to protect lives and property.
