Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested one Ndifreke Nelson in connection with the alleged murder of his girlfriend, identified as Emem Effanga.
Effanga, 39, was confirmed dead in a yet-to-be-disclosed hospital after she was allegedly strangled by her boyfriend.
This was contained in a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, in Uyo, on Monday.
She stated that the suspect was arrested following a report received by the command indicating that the deceased was in an unconscious condition in her apartment.
According to the command’s spokesperson, the operatives stormed the scene and discovered visible marks of violence on her face and neck, suggesting that she might have been strangled, adding that they traced the last person seen with the deceased to Nelson who visited her residence on February 6, 2025, the morning of his birthday.
She stated that the suspect was traced to a church in Uyo and later arrested adding that he (the suspect) had also confessed to visiting the victim that morning and demanding to use her phone to take pictures for his birthday celebration on social media.
The statement reads in part, “Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested one Ndifreke Isaiah Nelson,32, for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Emem Monday Effanga, 39, and stealing her mobile phone after committing the crime.
“Sometime in February 2025, the command received a report that the deceased was found dead in her apartment under suspicious circumstances.
“Upon arrival at the scene, operatives observed visible marks of violence on her face and neck, suggesting she had been strangled and beaten to death.
“The scene was processed, evidence documented, and the body was evacuated to the hospital, where she was confirmed dead by medical personnel. The corpse was thereafter deposited at the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.”
The PPRO stated further that following swift investigations, “detectives traced the last person seen with the deceased to be Ndifreke Isaiah Nelson, who had visited her residence on February 6, 2025, the morning of his birthday.
“The suspect was later tracked to a church in Uyo, where he attempted to escape upon sighting police operatives but was swiftly pursued and apprehended.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to visiting the victim that morning and demanding to use her phone to take pictures for his birthday celebration on social media.
“When she refused, a struggle ensued, during which he overpowered her, strangled her with his hands, and struck her head on the floor with fist blows, leaving her unconscious before fleeing with her phone. One Itel Super Phone, belonging to the deceased, was recovered from him at the time of arrest.”
John who disclosed that a postmortem examination had been conducted and the cause of her death documented by a pathologist assured the public that justice would be served, adding that the case had been charged to court.
She stated that the Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, used the occasion to warn against all forms of domestic violence and criminal acts, urging the public to remain security conscious and report suspicious activities to the security agency.
