Young Comedian Drowns In Swimming Pool In Calabar

The late MC Mankind

 

A young comedian, Kingsley Ekpe, popularly known as MC Mankind has drowned in a private swimming pool while celebrating the birthday of his school Principal in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

It was reported that the 25-year-old Ekpe drowned at the hotel's swimming pool while swimming with his friends during the birthday celebration.

The incident is said to have occurred along Calabar Mutala Mohammed Highway in Calabar.

Eye witness account said the deceased, who is also a teacher at Lott Carey Secondary School, Uwanse in Calabar South Local Government Area, met his untimely death when he and his colleagues went to the hotel to celebrate the birthday of the Principal of the school.

“The celebrant and his guests took time to swim in the hotel’s swimming pool amidst other merriments and when it was time to depart the hotel, it was observed that Kingsley was missing,” the source said.

The Principal of the School, popularly known as Mr. James, who was the chief celebrant said it was his girlfriend who raised the alarm when they were about to leave the place.

“We searched everywhere and when we looked into the pool, he was in a sitting position.

“Ekpe was brought out of the pool and strangely it was discovered that he was dead.

“We pressed his stomach to gorge out water and instead of water, it was blood that came out. Strangely too, there were no marks or any wound on his body”, Jones added.

However, the management of the hotel alleged that the deceased “took a lot of drink with his friends and was asthmatic that was why it happened”.

The deceased’s father, Mr Lawrence Asuquo Ekpe said he was angry with the claims by the Manager of the Hotel that “my son was asthmatic that was why he drowned.

“Can a man live with his son for 25 years without knowing the health status of the child?”

Mr Ekpe said Kingsley was hail and hearty before leaving the house that day and had no inkling of the tragedy about to befall the family.

“My son plays football. Does an asthmatic patient play football? He jogs every morning, does asthmatic patient jog? Certainly the hotel is not saying the truth of what took place there”.

At the Federal Housing Police Station where the matter was reported, the DPO confirmed the incident, stating that investigations were in progress to unravel what “actually took place there and no stone will be left unturned to get to the root of the matter”.