An unidentified man suspected to be 60 years old has been found dead at St. Patrick College bus stop by Murtala Mohammed Highway in Calabar, Cross River State.It was learnt that the man, who was said to have been forcefully evicted from his rented apartment by his landlord, died on Sunday after staying at the bus stop for four days.
He had before his death, according to an eyewitness, survived on the goodwill of people who assisted him at the bus stop.An eyewitness, Moses Akan, told Southern City News on Tuesday that the man had told him on inquiries that he was evicted from his home in the Ikot-Ansa axis of Calabar by his landlord.He said, “I was passing by this bus stop late last Friday and I saw this old man here. His breathing was smooth. I came again the next day and tried to know about him by asking him what happened and he said his land lord drove him out of his house and brought him here at midnight.
“I asked of his relations and he said one of his sons was staying at 46 Webber Street. I personally traced the address but nobody named Ettekamba, which was the name he told me, was living in the address.After then when asked where he stayed before been brought here he mentioned his land lord’s name which I didn’t get well because of how he talked, he said he stayed at Eight Miles, I think off Ikot Omin, opposite Methodist Church.
“He said he would wish to go to the state Housing Estate police station to lay complaints so that they could get the landlord arrested. But by the next day he was found dead.”
Akan said someone had actually gone to Federal Housing Police Station to make a report that somebody was lying ill at the bus stop but the police did not pick interest in the matter.As at the time of filing this report, the lifeless body of the old man was still at the bus stop.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary of Calabar Urban Development Authority, Mr. Joe-Mary Ekeng-Ita, said the corpse would be evacuated as soon as necessary documentations were done.He, however, urged local government areas to also take responsibility of evacuating abandoned corpse, saying the task was not that of CUDA alone.
“I just got to know of it, we shall evacuate it very soon. We need to carry out some documentation. But I also urge the council areas in Calabar to take up such responsibility of evacuating corpses, it is not solely our duty alone,” he said.
Punch