As poverty continues to take its harsh toll on the
major oil rich State of the Niger Delta in
Nigeria – Akwa Ibom State, some bizarre
killings are going on unabated, albeit,
unheard. The recent is the decapitation of the
head of a man by name Udo Jimmy (AKA Ete-
Isang) in a small village called Ikot Odion in
Eket Local Government area of Akwa Akwa
Ibom State.
Ete-Isang, as he was fondly called left his house
in the evening of Monday to scout for straws to
feed his goat did not return back even after
night-fall. Worried by this strange development,
the children quickly reported the matter to the
newly elected VillageHead, Chief Ekomobong
Peter Assam who wasted no time as he
summoned an emergency town hall meeting of
all the villagers to discuss the matter.
A search party was immediately dispatched to
comb the bushes in the direction where he was
said to have been seen earlier in the day. His
lifeless body was found just less than half a mile
from his backyard along the road leading to a
nearby stream called Odu Iyak.
The Divisional Police office of Eket, Mr Idowu
Owohunwa was intimated where he immediately
visited the scene alongside some of his men for
proper investigation. No arrest was, however,
made as no strong suspect was identified by the
villagers the in course of police preliminary
investigation.
But a young lady in her early thirties simply
known as Edikan, who spoke to this reporter,
said she saw a strange young man along the
road of the bush stream while going to fetch
water to cook food for her children and met a
young man who easily got angry with her and
questioned her why she was staring at him so
intently, then treathed to beat her if she
continued staring at him. She said though she
did not know him but could recognize him if she
saw him again.
A community leader, here, Mr Akpe Isang, while
reacting to the incident said he believed that it
was the hash way which poverty has significantly
ravaged the state thereby compelling young men
to ttake to toritual killings by beheading people to
make quick money.
“There is no doubt in my mind that poverty is the
cause of this incessant beheading and ritual
killing going on in Akwa Ibom State. This is the
area where Akwa Ibom government has failed
woefully in addressing.”
But in contrast to this, a second school of
thought blamed the killing of this septuagenarian
on witchcraft. One of the community
spokespersons who spoke on account of
anonymity said Mr Jimmy returned from Calabar
three years ago after the death of his eldest son
and settled at home. Witchcraft was widely
believed to be the cause of his son’s death.
“He returned from Calabar about three years ago
after the death of his son. His son’s death really
shocked many of us. I think people actually
thought then this was caused by supernatural
forces. So I really suspect some men who nurture
this belief could be responsible to his death.’’
Killing like this has been going on for some time
now in different parts of Akwa Ibom State which
may not have anyconnectivity with politics as they
mostly involved people from the local community
which have no business whatsover with politics.
In Oron area, fior instance, about seven people
were beheaded just last month alone in different
villages. However, what may be the cause of this
very death, still remains a mystery.
But it will be recalled that in 2001, more than
eleven people including children believed to be
witches and wizards were tortured and killed in
this village alone and buried in an unknown mass
grave.
Informationnigeria
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