Residents of Ikot Obong village are in panic after the body of the late Stephen Iboro, a former worker of the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON), was dumped at the palace of the village head, Eteidung Etukeren.
The incident, which occurred last Saturday, is the culmination of a long-standing dispute between the Etukeren and Udobong families over where the deceased should be buried. The monarch is demanding N50 million in damages, citing psychological trauma and health hazards caused by the stench from the corpse.
Etukeren alleged that on March 7, some individuals, identified as Uboho Uku, Oliver Obot, Okon Peter, and Joy Iboro, brought the body in a coffin and dumped it at his palace. He explained that the dispute arose when the Udobong family insisted the burial take place on Etukeren family land, which he opposed because the deceased was not a member of his family.
The village head revealed that he had obtained a High Court injunction (suit No: HAB/MISC.4/2026) restraining the Udobong family from burying Iboro on Etukeren family land. According to him, Stephen Iboro hailed from Otong Udobong in Ikot Obong and had previously been accommodated by the Etukeren family, who provided him housing after he was rejected by his own family.
Etukeren detailed that Iboro, after gaining employment at ALSCON, built his own house. He said that disputes over the land escalated after Iboro’s family attempted to sell his property for about N25 million and insisted on burying him on Etukeren land. He added that the police intervened but backed out after confirming the circumstances, leading him to seek legal redress.
Despite the court injunction and police involvement, members of the Udobong family reportedly delivered the body to the palace on Saturday, escalating tensions in the community.
