The high court sitting in the Akamkpa Judicial Division of Cross River State has sentenced one Mr Festus Anyanime to death by hanging for killing his twin daughters.
The court held that Anyanime had wilfully and gruesomely murdered his 11-year-old twins, Mfoniso Anyanime and Emediong Anyanime, in 2017 after dubbing them, witches.
Honourable Justice A. A. Onyebueke delivered the judgment on Tuesday, 15th February 2022, and convicted the defendant.
Anyanime, who is in his 50s, could not defend his allegation of witchery against his daughters when cross-examined.
According to a Child Rights activist, Mr James Ibor, whose Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BCRI) facilitated the prosecution of the accused, the case was first reported in February 2017, which led to the immediate arrest of the man by the police followed by an investigation.
Findings confirmed that the police ensured that necessary medical examinations and autopsies were done on the deceased children, which aided the judgment.
Mr Ibor described the judgment as a great victory for the victims in particular and the Government of Cross River State.
He regretted that witchcraft branding and ritual killings have become a pastime in the state
Recall that the United Nations has urged nations to take measures against abuses linked to witchcraft beliefs and ritual sacrifices.
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