Posted on: 02:31 Mon, 04 Apr 2016



Two sons of the presiding pastor of
the Independent Baptist Church in
Calabar, Rev. Nicholas Wayih, have
been killed by gunmen.

The sons identified as Archibong
and Ekpenyong were said to have
had a prolonged struggle with the
armed men before they were
gunned down.

The gunmen, seven in number,
were said to have gained access to
their expansive compound located
at the Efio-Ette junction axis of
Calabar, the Cross River State
capital, through the back fence that
shares boundary with a welder’s
shop.

There are versions to the gory
incident which has left the Rev
Wayih and his family in serious
mourning mood since the early
hours of Tuesday when the incident
occurred.

A close source to the Wayihs told
Southern City News that the clergy’s
two sons were said to have engaged
the armed men in physical battle
after they had gained entry into the
residence between 1am and 3am of
Tuesday, March 29.

The source said it was not clear if it
was an outright case of
assassination because the intruders
started beating the clergy’s three
boys that had come out from their
rooms on noticing that they had
gained entry.

“When the beating became severe,
two of the sons, who were hefty,
had to engage the intruders in
physical battle because they did not
see guns with them initially and
when they were almost
overpowering the intruders, one of
the robbers gave an order that they
should be killed.

“The third son, who experienced
the incident, had to rush to the
mother’s room to tell her not to
come out but the mother came out
and asked the robbers what they
wanted. She offered her ATM card
and they took it after they had gun
down the brothers.

The robbers even withdrew money
from the ATM in the morning of
the incident,” he said.

But another source, Michael Ebube,
said one of the robbers sustained
deep cut while trying to gain access
to the pastor’s house.

Ebube said, “The robbers gained
access to the building and in the
course of attempting to gain
entrance into the pastor’s
residence, one of the sons used
machete to cut one of the armed
robbers.

It was learnt that the cut was
severe. The robbers still continued
and eventually they gained
entrance into the building.

“In retaliation, they shot the two
sons when they got in but left
almost immediately in annoyance
without actually stealing anything
because the injured robber was
bleeding profusely.

The robbers scaled the fence the
way they came in and it appeared
they stayed in the next compound
for sometime before they left
because was so much blood stains
on the floor of the compound they
came in through.”

Police PRO, John Eluu, confirmed
the incident and said the police
was currently investigating the
matter.