A journalist from Atar Communication, the parent company of Liberty TV/Radio, was found dead on Wednesday in Abuja, five days after being reported missing.
Joel Waksi, an On-Air Personality (OAP) with the media outfit, was last seen leaving his office around 9 PM on Friday. He was scheduled to return to work the following afternoon at the Mpape office but never made it.
Balarabe Muhammad, the Group General Manager (GGM) of Atar Communication, confirmed the incident to City & Crime. According to Muhammad, the police in the Mpape division discovered Waksi’s body near the Panteka area and transferred it to the Kubwa General Hospital morgue. Waksi had been stabbed around the neck, and his phone was missing, leading to suspicions that he fell victim to phone snatchers. Muhammad added that Waksi had previously survived a similar attack two months ago, where he was stabbed in the abdomen.
Muhammad noted, “He was supposed to be on break till Monday, having worked at night; however, due to internal arrangements among colleagues during such public holidays, he was billed to report back to duty the next day afternoon, but he never did.”
Waksi, known affectionately as “Joel” by his colleagues, was described as a hardworking and creative staff member.
The incident highlights the growing menace of phone snatchers in Mpape town and other suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which has led to multiple fatalities.
As of the time of this report, SP Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT police command, had not responded to enquiries regarding the incident.
