The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested a roadside petrol seller identified as Akpan Okon Akpan for allegedly setting his friend ablaze over a phone charger.

Okon was said to have burnt his friend identified as Junior Ime Philip to death after a disagreement over a phone charger.

Parading the suspect and others at the command headquarters in Uyo, the Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durosinmi, said the suspect doused the victim with petrol during an altercation and ignited the fire that lead to Philip’s death.

“On 15th December 2022 relying on a petition from Rev. Emmanuel Ime of Ikot Ekwere Ubium Village in Nsit Ublum LGA, at about 6:30pm, operatives of the homicide unit of the SCID Uyo, arrested one Akpan Okon Akpan of same address who poured fuel on his brother, one Junior Ime Philip and set him ablaze leading to his death because of a disagreement over a phone charger.”

Narrating what led to his action, the suspect said, “I don’t know the guy before, he ran into my shop and said he was looking for someone who collected his charger, I told him that such a person was not in my shop. Out of anger, he took a bottle and started fighting me and I fought back.

“I used the petrol I’m selling and poured it on him, honestly I didn’t know what I was doing until he started burning and people gathered, we were trying to put out the fire but it was already late because when they took him to hospital, he died there.”