A grieving mother, Victoria Mba, has accused police officers in Cross River State of fatally shooting her 22-year-old son, Moses Onyekachi Mba, for attempting to deliver a Christian message to the state governor at his former residence.
In an exclusive interview with Punch Newspaper, Victoria recounted the harrowing events that led to her son’s death on August 9, 2025, just days after the shooting incident.
According to Victoria, her son Moses, a devout young man passionate about evangelism since childhood, visited the governor’s former residence in Calabar on August 1st, stating that he had received a divine message to deliver.
When turned away by security personnel, he reportedly returned a second time.
It was then that police allegedly beat and shot him, leaving him unattended for hours before the Red Cross intervened.
“They treated him like a threat instead of a harmless preacher. He lay in a pool of his own blood for hours before anyone helped,” she said.
Moses was taken to the Navy Hospital in Calabar, where his condition was described as critical.
His family claimed the hospital delayed urgent surgery due to unstable vitals and financial constraints.
The operation was eventually performed on August 4, lasting six hours.
While he initially survived the surgery, complications led to a coma.
The hospital later demanded expensive blood transfusions, which the family struggled to afford. He died five days later.
“HE SCREAMED IN PAIN, SAYING HE WAS TIRED. THEN HE GAVE UP,” THE MOTHER RECOUNTED TEARFULLY.
Victoria also alleged that government officials attempted to label her son as mentally ill, an accusation she strongly denies.
“He was never mentally unstable. He scored 196 in his JAMB exam and had plans to study Business Administration. He had already purchased his Post-UTME form for Nsukka,” she stated, adding that his academic pursuits were delayed due to family financial and health challenges.
The Mba family claims they were never contacted or comforted by any Cross River State official.
Instead, they received threatening calls and were summoned by police after Moses’ death, a move the family viewed as intimidation.
“They killed my son and then summoned me to the police commissioner. I said no. If they want to speak, they should come to our lawyer’s office.”
The family has filed a petition with Zone 6 Police Headquarters in Calabar.
Though officers involved were reportedly asked to submit statements, weeks have passed without any meaningful response or action.
“We were told only social media can help us now. That’s why I’m speaking out,” Victoria explained.
Victoria insists her demand is simple: to know who killed her son and why. She’s not asking for compensation or millions, only justice and a proper burial for her child.
“Let them come and tell me why he was killed. Just say ‘sorry’ and let me bury my son.”
Police have insisted that the body cannot be released without an autopsy, as it is now officially a murder case.
However, the process has been slow and shrouded in silence.
“They treat it like a formality. But to me, it’s my son’s life. I deserve peace,” she said.
Describing her son as a peaceful, generous, and deeply religious young man, Victoria said Moses often helped neighbors, washed clothes for others, and played gospel music even while eating.
“He never drank, never smoked. He loved helping people. Now we all feel his absence.”
She currently lives with her three other children and says the trauma of Moses’ death has left a permanent scar.
“I take sleeping pills to get through the night. My pain is rising like hell. But I will not be silent.”
