The police in Akwa Ibom has killed a notorious serial killer and armed robber identified as Malachi Friday Uwem.
Mr. Uwem Malachi, 24, was killed, along with two of his gang members, by operatives of the Special Weapons And Tactics Squad, SWAT, unit of the Nigeria police force on April 28, 2022 while trying to escape in his hiding in Cross Rivers state.
According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer of Akwa Ibom command, Mr Idiko MacDon, when the SWAT squad traced the hoodlums to their hideouts in Cross River State, they resisted arrest and engaged the operatives in a gun duel.
However, early reports showed Uwem and a gang member in handcuffs while in police custody. The police now says he was killed while attempting to escape.
Uwem and his gang have been terrorising some Akwa Ibom communities in the past six months, and killing, maiming and robbing their victims, especially females.
According to the police statement,“In the last six months, the Residents of Use Ntuen, Okobo Ibiono and Ikot Ambang in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, Itu and Ikot Ekpene local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State and part of Uyo have lived in palpable fear of a dreaded serial killer and armed robber, one Malachi Friday Uwem (24).”
“The said Malachi and gang have killed over 15 persons and has left some of his victims permanently maimed, some presently in hospitals, while others are counting their losses from his barbaric robbery acts, which has led to the closing of many businesses, especially POS, in these places.”
“It would be recalled that on 20/2/22, the notorious armed Robber and serial killer robbed and shot one Miss Lovina Eze Chiwendu, a Youth Corps member at Ikot Ambang and made away with her iphone, ATM card and the sum of Seven thousand baira.
She died last week at Enugu Teaching Hospital.
“Also, on 21/2/22, the suspect robbed and killed a lady teacher returning from school at Okobo Ibiono who had stopped over at a POS shop, this resulted to a protest by Youths of the area who blocked the Uyo/Ikot Ekpene Expressway.”
On Monday, 25th April, Uwem and his gang killed two young men on the grounds that the village couldn’t meet their demand of twenty million naira (20m), but were only able to raise the sum of five million naira.
Exhibits Recovered from the hoodlums included one Cut to Size Pump Action Gun, One Locally made Pistol, a large number of cartridges, one Gas Head with a resemblance of a Gun and assorted types of charms.
