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The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has launched an intensive manhunt and investigation into the killing of Unwana Okon, a woman from Ndot Village in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
According to the police, Unwana was contacted by telephone by an unidentified person who invited her to Mbiaikot Village under the pretext of purchasing or selling Afang leaves. She accepted the invitation and travelled to the location. She was later found dead. Her mobile phone and an undisclosed sum of money were taken by the assailants.
The incident was reported at about 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, 1 November 2026, by her brother, identified as Eno.
State Police Public Relations Officer DSP Timfon John confirmed the details in a statement. Commissioner of Police Baba Azare ordered a comprehensive investigation and directed that the case be transferred immediately from the Divisional Police Headquarters to the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit for specialised handling, with the goal of identifying, arresting and prosecuting those responsible.
“The Commissioner of Police has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the unfortunate incident and directed that the case be transferred immediately from the Divisional Police Headquarters to the command’s Violence Crime Response Unit for a thorough, specialised and coordinated investigation, with a view to ensuring the swift identification, arrest and prosecution of all persons found culpable,” the statement read.
The command urged residents to remain vigilant and share credible information.
“The police further urge members of the public, particularly residents of Oruk Anam and neighbouring communities, to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious movements, persons or information that could assist the ongoing investigation.”
This killing forms part of a broader pattern of gender-related murders of women and girls across Nigeria. According to documentation by the DOHS Cares Foundation’s Femicide Observatory, Nigeria recorded 182 femicide and gender-related killings of women and girls in 2025 (resulting in approximately 197 deaths in some tallies), occurring across at least 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Only five of those cases (about 2.7 per cent) progressed to formal court charges. Intimate partners (husbands, boyfriends and former partners) accounted for a significant share of identifiable perpetrators.
In the early months of 2026 alone, the same observatory tracked dozens of additional cases, with reports indicating a woman or girl killed roughly every 49 hours in some tracked periods. Data from earlier years showed lower but still elevated numbers (around 133–150 deaths in 2024). Global comparative figures place Nigeria among countries with relatively high femicide rates.
Similar cases continue to surface nationwide. Women have been killed by intimate partners, family members or acquaintances in domestic settings, or lured under various pretexts (including business or social invitations) and murdered, sometimes with robbery as a motive.
