Fresh details have emerged surrounding the tragic death of an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Blessing Akpan, who was fatally stabbed by an unknown assailant in Bwari, a suburb of Abuja.
The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, last week, in front of the deceased’s residence located in Piawe, behind the Chief’s Palace in Bwari town.
Akpan, a mother of four and personnel with the NSCDC’s Bwari Central Division under the FCT Command, was said to have died after being taken from one hospital to another due to insistence on a police report before treatment could commence.
Sources told our correspondent that the officer was first taken to Gabriel Hospital after the attack, but was referred to St. Theresa’s Hospital, both in Bwari. At St. Theresa’s, nurses allegedly declined treatment until a police report was presented.
“She was losing a lot of blood,” a friend of the deceased, who requested anonymity, said. “We pleaded, we showed them her NSCDC ID, yet they refused. Eventually, we rushed her to the General Hospital, where she was finally attended to but was confirmed dead.”
Narrating the incident, her nine-year-old son, Jeremiah, said the attack happened around 5:45 a.m. when his mother took him outside to ease himself. An unknown man, dressed in black with a fez cap and hiding in a nearby maize field, struck her.
“He hit my mummy when she tried to shield me,” the boy said. “She fell and started shouting for help.”
The officer’s daughter, also named Blessing, said she rushed out after hearing her mother’s cries and saw her rolling on the ground in pain. “I ran to call neighbours. We then rushed her to the hospital.”
Her younger sister, Mrs. Peace, confirmed that at St. Theresa’s Hospital, nurses told them no treatment could proceed without a police report. “I had to run to the police station. By the time I returned, she was already gone,” she said tearfully.
A security official familiar with the case corroborated the account, adding that the police later followed Mrs. Peace to the hospital. Akpan was then transferred to Bwari General Hospital, where she was formally confirmed dead and moved to the mortuary.
At the crime scene, investigators recovered items believed to belong to the suspect, including a mobile phone, a kitchen knife, a catapult, and a machete. Authorities say the items are now part of ongoing investigations.
As of press time, no arrest has been made.
