It was meant to be another quiet night But for 45-year-old Udeme Sunday Uko and his family, the night of August 4, 2025, ended in a tragedy that has left an entire Akwa Ibom community shaken. Udeme, his wife, and children were sleeping inside a church at Ikot Oku Usung village in Ukanafun LGA when a sudden gunshot pierced the silence.
Startled and terrified, his wife, Mfon Udeme, rushed to alert the youth chairman of Ukanafun, Godwin Emekan Ben, who immediately informed the Divisional Police Officer. By the time help arrived, Udeme was already gone—shot in the head in what many still can’t comprehend: was it suicide, or was he murdered in cold blood?
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command, led by spokesperson DSP Timfon John, confirmed the chilling incident. A team dispatched to the scene recovered a locally made pistol and a spent cartridge, crucial pieces of evidence that hint at foul play. The preliminary findings suggest two possible angles: a self-inflicted death or an attack by unknown enemies.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, has ordered a full-scale investigation, promising the public that no stone will be left unturned in the quest for justice. Udeme’s body has been moved to the mortuary for preservation and autopsy, as police begin unraveling what truly happened in that sacred space turned crime scene.
The investigation continues, and residents remain tense, hoping for answers to a question that now haunts them all: Who would target a man sleeping with his family in a house of God?
