A 54-year-old man, Nkeruewen Etuk, arrested for the alleged murder of his girlfriend has disclosed that he committed the heinous act because she burnt his food and almost set their apartment on fire.

The suspect made the revelation on Friday when he was paraded by the Cross River State Police Command alongside 18 others, including an ex-convict and two  PHCN staff.

Etuk, who spoke with Vanguard, said  that he never intended to kill his girlfriend identified as Ms. Esther Ndereke, but carried out the dastardly act out of anger.

He said, “I became increasingly outraged by her  failure to cook rice properly, which became a major point of contention between us, she almost burnt down the house while cooking, she didn’t add enough water before turning on the gas and she almost burnt down the house.

“When I asked her why she behaved that way that was when we started arguing then I beat her up , I never intended to kill her, I’ve never had any serious  issue with her for the past two years that we have been dating.

“Unfortunately, our altercation escalated, resulting in her tragic demise after she slumped during the fight, it was never my plan to kill her , I was only angry because she was careless and almost burnt down someone’s house,” Etuk said.

In a press briefing on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police. CP Gyogon Grimah expressed gratitude to the media for their continuous support.

He encouraged the residents of Cross River state to speak out against crime and not remain silent.

Speaking further,  CP Gyogon Grimah disclosed that 19 suspects have been apprehended within the period under review for various crimes including Kidnapping, murder , vandalism , armed robbery amongst others.

According to him, 12 suspects were arrested for armed robbery , attempted murder and Cultism, while two others were apprehended for vandalising PHEDC power line, with five other suspects arrested for burglary and Cultism.

His words, ” we have resolved to take the fight against criminality to all the nooks and crannies of the state. I want to clearly state  that violence , lawlessness or self help cannot proffer solution in any enlightened society rather seeking legal redress in settling disputes is more profitable.

“Let’s join hands with Police and other security agencies to fight these criminal elements who are determined to cause panic or breach of peace not minding the implications of their actions, lets always adopt the whistle blowing policy and speak out,” CP Grimah appealed.