BREAKING NEWS: Police confirm stabbing of UNICAL final year student to death

A final year student of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and a bolt driver, Francis Atabi was on Friday night stabbed to death by assailants suspected to be a car snatching syndicate near the High Court along Mary-Slessor road in Calabar the Cross River state capital.

The deceased was an undergraduate of Education and political science, UNICAL, and a native of Afrike in Bekwarra LGA of the state Sunday Vanguard learned picked up his assailants who were suspected car snatchers on a ride around 8:30 pm when the tragic incident occurred.

Some impeccable sources told Sunday Vanguard that the suspects tried to snatch the Toyota Corolla vehicle from the driver while on their way to their supposed destination but Atabi put up serious resistance which led to the multiple stabbing in the chest and heart region which eventually led to his death.

The killers of the 25-year-old Afrike born Atabi apart from stabbing him multiple times and also tried to end his life with a twine rope which they tied around his neck but he fought them viciously

The deceased Sunday Vanguard gathered also ran over a security man who was on his way back from work when he lost control of the car trying to evade his assailants.

Findings by Sunday Vanguard showed that the security also gave up the ghost and as at the time of filing this report efforts are in progress to track the killers who are now at large.

When contacted the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Irene Ugbo who confirmed the tragic incident said they have already commenced an investigation into the matter adding that the killers of Atabi can only run but cannot hide.

“We shall do everything possible to endure the assailants are arrested, no stone will be left unturned in this matter, we are launching a manhunt and we shall get them and bring them to book.

“This is a further wake-up call to CrossRiverians, bolt drivers to be more vigilant, as criminals are devising various way to carry out their nefarious activities, the killers will be made to face the full wrath of the law when apprehended,” she said.

Some Bolt Driver’s who spoke under condition of anonymity told Sunday Vanguard that the syndicate have been operating with different tactics to dispose drivers of their cars.

“Sometimes they use ground pepper, pepper spray or dangerous weapons including pistols , in most cases they use girls to book the ride so that the driver won’t be be apprehensive.

“Atabi’s case is just one out of the many incidents that has been happening in Calabar , they mostly choose odd locations as their destination or pick up points , and they don’t like using an active phone line for their registration so that their data won’t be accessible,” they. said .