Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
A 29-year-old man identified by police as Emmanuel Ita has been found dead in Calabar, Cross River State, after an early-morning incident that was initially reported as the stabbing of a Bolt driver during an attempted car robbery.
Emmanuel Ita died on Friday, 28 August 2026, following an incident along the Target–Udy King axis of Calabar, according to the Cross River State Police Command. Police said officers were alerted to the incident and have launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding his death and determine whether anyone should be held responsible.
An earlier report said the victim was a Bolt driver operating a Toyota Corolla with registration number UYY 256H. It alleged that he picked up three passengers along Mbukpa Road in Calabar South and was travelling towards Calabar Municipality when the men allegedly ordered him to stop and surrender his vehicle.
According to the account attributed to an eyewitness, the three men threatened the driver while the vehicle was moving. When he allegedly refused to hand over the car key, one or more of the men reportedly stabbed him.
The injured driver was said to have continued driving until he reached a nearby filling station. He reportedly lost control of the vehicle, veered into a gutter and struck a pavement. The three men were then said to have fled from the scene.
Passers-by reportedly intervened and took the injured man to the General Hospital in Calabar, where he was said to have been confirmed dead.
However, the police have not confirmed the robbery or stabbing account. In a statement reported on Friday, police spokesman ASP Sunday Eitokpah said officers were deployed after receiving information about the incident, but the circumstances of the death were still being investigated.
The police said the deceased's remains had been taken by members of his family to a hospital mortuary. A preliminary examination reportedly found an injury to his chest, but the command did not publicly state that the injury was caused by a knife or confirm that the death occurred during a robbery.
That distinction is significant because the initial account and the police version do not establish the same sequence of events. While the first report described an attempted vehicle theft involving three unidentified men, the police have so far limited their confirmed information to the discovery of the body, the chest injury and the opening of an investigation.
The identity of the deceased has also emerged more clearly in the police account. Ita was reported to be 29 and to have lived in Ikot Effanga Mkpa, Calabar. The police statement was issued by ASP Eitokpah, the Cross River State Police Public Relations Officer.
Police have not announced any arrest in connection with Ita's death. They have also not publicly identified the people who may have been travelling with him before the incident or confirmed whether investigators have recovered the vehicle allegedly involved.
The case comes as security concerns around commercial transport and app-based driving continue to draw attention in Nigerian cities. Drivers who accept passengers through digital platforms can work at night and in unfamiliar areas, making the circumstances surrounding attacks on them an important concern for police, transport operators and the companies whose platforms connect drivers with passengers.
But in the Calabar case, investigators have yet to establish whether the death was linked to an attempted robbery, a passenger dispute or another incident. The police have therefore not endorsed the robbery narrative contained in the initial report.
The investigation is expected to focus on the events leading up to Ita's death, the source and nature of the chest injury, the circumstances in which his body was found and the movements of the vehicle. Investigators may also seek information from people who were in the area at the time and examine any available evidence that could help reconstruct the incident.
The initial report placed the incident at about 5:30am along Target Road in Calabar South Local Government Area. It said the driver had picked up the three men along Mbukpa Road before the journey towards Calabar Municipality. The later police account referred to the Target–Udy King axis but did not independently confirm those details.
The differing descriptions underline the importance of allowing investigators to establish the facts before the circumstances of the death are definitively described as a robbery or stabbing. For Ita's family, however, the central issue remains the same: a young man is dead, and authorities must determine how and why.
The Cross River State Police Command has said it is continuing its investigation into the case. The command has not publicly announced the arrest of any suspect or disclosed whether investigators have identified people believed to have been involved.
The death is likely to renew questions about the safety of drivers operating during early-morning hours and about the risks faced by workers whose livelihoods depend on transporting passengers. It also highlights the importance of prompt reporting and reliable evidence when violent incidents occur, particularly where early accounts may circulate before investigators have completed their inquiries.
The police position means reports describing Ita as a Bolt driver should also be treated with care until investigators establish the vehicle and trip details. Confirming those details could help determine whether Ita was working at the time, identify passengers or contacts connected to the journey and establish a clearer timeline of the events before his death.
For now, the confirmed position is that Emmanuel Ita, 29, died after being found in circumstances that police consider unclear, with a preliminary examination indicating a chest injury. Allegations that he was stabbed by three passengers attempting to take his car remain part of the reported account but have not been confirmed by the police.
Investigators are continuing their work to determine what happened in the early hours of Friday, 28 August 2026. Until further evidence emerges, the precise circumstances surrounding Ita's death remain unresolved.
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