By Abasi Ita
The Cross River State Government has reopened the murder trial involving Inspector General of Police v. Uchenna Peter Chinweikpe and Valentine Alloysious, popularly known as My Father My Father, following a wave of public outrage over alleged delays in the prosecution process.
In a statement issued by the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Anthony Okon Effiom, Esq., the government said its action was prompted by a social media post from a sibling of the late Princewill Igbunaju Ikenna. The post accused authorities of neglect and deliberate delay in handling the case.
The Ministry confirmed that the case, filed in October 2022 by the Nigeria Police Force, Zone 6 Headquarters, Calabar, had faced several procedural setbacks despite early progress. Between October 2022 and January 2023, three witnesses testified before the Cross River State High Court in Ikom before the matter was adjourned.
According to the statement, the case stalled in February 2023 after the presiding judge, Justice Ashu Ewah, granted bail to the defendants on health grounds while the police prosecutor was unavoidably absent due to another assignment in Akwa Ibom State. Justice Ewah later proceeded on national duty as a member of an Election Petition Tribunal, which caused further delays.
Dissatisfied with the slow pace of proceedings and the bail decision, the complainant petitioned the Chief Judge of Cross River State in March 2024, requesting that the case be reassigned. The Chief Judge approved the request in May 2024 and transferred the matter to Court 2 of the Ikom Division.
However, the case file was not promptly transmitted by the Deputy Chief Registrar in charge of the reassignment. The oversight was discovered during the judiciary’s 2025 annual vacation, prompting a query and referral of the officer to the Judicial Service Commission for disciplinary action.
Following corrective measures, the case has now been reassigned and listed before Court 2 of the Ikom High Court. It came up on October 13, 2025, for the re-arraignment of the defendants, though one of them, Uchenna Peter Chinweikpe, failed to appear. The matter was adjourned to October 21, 2025.
To ensure transparency and restore public confidence, the Attorney General of Cross River State has directed the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to take over the case from the police. The Ministry has also contacted the Commissioner of Police, Cross River State Command, to assist in tracking down three additional suspects identified as Elvis Ntui, Pastor Effiong, and one Barry, who are currently on the run.
Effiom reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to justice, assuring the family of the late Igbunaju and the general public that all those involved in the murder will be prosecuted diligently.
“The Ministry of Justice sympathizes with the family of the late Princewill Igbunaju Ikenna and assures them that justice will indeed be served,” Effiom stated.