The police in Cross River state has arrested a man simply identified as Ekapong, for allegedly shooting his elder brother to death with a gun and cutting off his head and private parts following a dispute over palm fruits in Epiebi ward, Ekori in Yakkur Local Government Area of the state.

Recounting what transpired to Vanguard that led to the gruesome murder, the daughter of the deceased, Alice, said

“He went to the farm and met our father packing palm fruits, which he cut from our family palm trees into a bag and shot him dead.”

She said her father and her uncle have been quarreling over who should harvest palm fruits in their late father’s plantation.

“He has been warning my father to stay away from the palm trees or he would deal with him but my father did not take him seriously, since the palm trees belong to the family,” she said

Alice stated that a hunter, who heard the gunshot and thought one of his colleagues had killed an animal, rushed over to share in the game but saw something else and raised an alarm. She added that when the hunter saw a bag covered in blood, he was excited and rushed to open the bag which was beside him only to see a human head and private parts.

She said other people in the surrounding farms and bushes rushed to the scene following the hunter’s shout for help and that was how the suspect was apprehended.

The spokesperson of the state police command, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident and said the suspect is now in police custody.