What began as a night of trust between two friends in Calabar South has ended in a chilling discovery that has left the Afokang community in fear. A young woman’s journey to a house she was allegedly led to by someone she trusted has now become the centre of a disturbing investigation following a reported disappearance, traces of blood, and the absence of a body. RICHARD NDOMA reports that the development has raised troubling questions about the possible harvesting of human parts.
At Afokang by Jebbs Street, residents who once knew the area as a quiet neighbourhood woke on a fateful Tuesday morning to a grim reality. The discovery of blood traces from a drain connected to a nearby apartment and running to the soakaway sparked panic, questions, and a search for answers about what had happened behind the house’s walls.
While the community struggled to come to terms with the disturbing development, that Tuesday morning brought an unsettling discovery that deepened the mystery. Rain, the suspects believed, should have washed Afokang clean by Jebbs Street. Instead, it left behind something far more frightening.
The discovery of thick, fresh lumps of blood flowing from a pipe connected to the fingered compound they had walked past every day. By 8 a.m., the police were immediately alerted.
Police officers arrived and sealed off the area. At the same time, two people were taken into custody: 34-year-old Ofofon Philip, who hails from Ini local government area of Akwa Ibom State, and his 23-year-old girlfriend, Promise Offiong.
The prime suspect, Philip, runs a provision shop around Waddle Lane, while Offiong sells medicines at a chemist on Mondays. To many residents on the street, they were simply another young couple living an ordinary life.
The entire neighbourhood now fears for its children. LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that many elderly residents living in open compounds now use containers to relieve themselves at night when pressed, rather than risk their safety by using open restrooms.
At the centre of it all is a young woman no one can clearly identify or describe vividly. Police reports and neighbours refer to her only as a friend of the man’s girlfriend, whose name was ‘‘Promise.” She had come to spend the night. By morning, she had vanished.
No one knows her. No one knows her age. No co-worker has come forward. No mother, father, brother or uncle has arrived at the police station searching for their daughter.
Yet, her absence is now the loudest presence in Afokang. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said she saw an average-height, fair-complexioned lady enter Ofofon’s apartment the previous night in the company of Promise. She never saw her leave.
A community resident, who gave her name only as Stella, said: “We don’t know her dreams, her church, where she worked, or the last thing she told her mother, but we know she did not leave that house.”
Stella, however, told our correspondent that the fear of speaking out hangs over the community, as residents worry that possible accomplices yet to be apprehended could come after those who provide information about the case.
Although the Cross River police public relations officer, Sunday Akata, confirmed that officers found traces of blood around a soakaway pit, he said the investigation was still ongoing.
According to him, “Preliminary investigation and a search of the area were conducted, and both suspects denied involvement in any murder.”
He revealed that Philip, a prime suspect in the matter, told the police the blood came from an old injury on his leg, while his girlfriend, Offiong, claimed she was locked in the room before the incident. Investigators are still examining the claims.
But another neighbour, Immaculata, said she remains unconvinced. In her words, “The girl claimed the man locked her up before killing her. But that could just be a statement to try to extricate herself,” she said.
For residents, the night itself remains the most haunting part of the incident. Immaculata said they suspect Offiong, who lured her close friend, was quoted to have revealed this; heavy clouds gathered over the street as the discovery unfolded.
“We thought the rain would fall and wash away the blood-spotted close to the soakaway pit. But the rain did not fall again as we had anticipated earlier,” she recalled.
By morning, the pipe was still stained. “Neighbours suspected something terrible had happened at night and called the police,” she said. The red mark remained, stubborn against the concrete.
Immaculata and other residents alleged that one of Philip’s three buses arrived around 2:00 a.m., picked him up, and brought him back later that same night.
“Apparently, to deliver body parts and bring him back,” Immaculata alleged.
Police have not confirmed this detail, saying only that investigations into the matter are ongoing.
Philip’s shop on Waddle Lane is known to tricycle riders and traders in the area. Charles Ekong, a tricycle rider, said Philip often returned home late.
“Vigilante sometimes stops him at night, but they let him go because they know him as a neighbour who operates a provision shop,” he said.
In close-knit streets like Afokang, reputation travels fast. So do rumours. Ekong also shared unverified claims about Philip’s past.
“The man had three children from his ex-wife, but the woman took the children and ran away a long time ago,” he said.
He further alleged that Philip once attempted to use his mother for ritual purposes, but that the plan failed. According to Ekong, the woman now lives at State Avenue, a short distance away, and does not visit him. Court records have not confirmed either of these allegations.
While some residents said this was the first time Philip had been accused of murder, others alleged he had been involved in “shady deals” for years.
In a telephone conversation on Wednesday in Calabar, the Cross River State police public relations officer, Sunday Eitokpah Akata, said the command was still searching for concrete evidence regarding the allegations.
As of the time of filing this report, no murder charge had been established. Akata told our correspondent that the case was being treated as “conduct likely to cause a breach of peace” while further investigations continue.
“Up till this moment, there is no corpse found as reported by neighbours,” he said.
He also dismissed rumours that the police had released the suspects.
“They are still in police custody pending the outcome of a discreet investigation,” he said.
The absence of a missing person report has added another layer of mystery to the case. No family member has come forward. No employer has reported a missing worker. Police say this gap is part of what is slowing down the investigation.
“Such an alarm is capable of sparking violence in the community if proper steps are not taken,” Akata warned. He said tangible evidence of a killing had not yet been presented.
The fear is already spreading beyond one compound. Parents now watch their children more closely. Friends send messages asking, “You reach?” before going to bed. Even the yowling of a cat or the howling of a dog at night now makes some residents pause by their windows, following the incident.
Youth leader Amaku Awatt said he was at a loss for words and had no comment on the matter while the police investigate.
“The matter is in their hands,” he told our reporter.
But the clan head of Efut Akani Esuk in the Calabar South local government area of the state, His Royal Highness (HRH) Muri Eyo Effiong Okon V, said several residents had visited his palace to express their concerns.
“They saw blood that flowed along the gutter linking the residence of the suspect,” he confirmed.
The monarch urged residents to remain vigilant, advising them not to let their guard down during the day or at night.
He also criticised the nearby Nigeria Correctional Centre, saying its presence had affected community access and security because of the roadblock along the access route between Afokang and Jebbs. He said the situation had limited interaction among community residents.
Meanwhile, the suspects appeared in court for the first time on 18 June 2026, following their arraignment by the state command of the Nigeria Police. The Cross River State police public relations officer, Sunday Eitokpah Akata, confirmed this during a telephone conversation with LEADERSHIP Sunday.
As investigations continue, the incident has raised painful questions about trust, friendship and the dangers that can hide behind familiar faces. For many residents, the tragedy is not only about the alleged crime itself, but also about how a relationship built on trust allegedly became a pathway to horror.
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