CALABAR — A middle-aged man, identified as Emmanuel Akposi, has been declared wanted by the police after allegedly dousing his elderly mother, Mrs Atim Akposi, popularly known as Atim Eyo, with fuel and setting her ablaze in Ojo community, Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The victim, who suffered severe burns in the August 14 attack, was rushed to a community health centre in Ojo before being transferred to Akamkpa General Hospital and later to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), where she reportedly died in the early hours of Monday.
According to family sources, the attack followed years of accusations by Emmanuel that his mother was a witch and responsible for the death of his child.
Speaking with Vanguard by telephone on Wednesday, the victim’s elder son, Mr Eyo Akposi, alleged that Emmanuel had repeatedly accused their mother of witchcraft.
“Before now, he had been accusing our mother for years of being a witch. He told people that some pastors told him that our mother was a witch,” Eyo said.
He further alleged that Emmanuel had blamed their mother for the death of his child and had confronted her several times in what he described as attempts to harm her.
Recounting the circumstances surrounding the latest incident, Eyo alleged that Emmanuel entered their mother’s room, attempted to strangle her and, after she resisted, hit her and knocked her to the ground.
“He then poured fuel on her and set her on fire and fled immediately afterwards,” he alleged.
Neighbours reportedly raised the alarm and assisted in taking the severely injured woman to hospital.
Eyo said he learnt about the incident after a video of the attack was sent to him. He subsequently advised relatives to transfer the victim from Akamkpa General Hospital to UCTH for further treatment.
“When they sent the video to me, because I don’t live in the same place with them, I told them to move her from the hospital in Akamkpa to UCTH, where she died,” he said.
The matter has reportedly been reported to the Uyanga Divisional Police Station in Akamkpa, where investigations have commenced and a manhunt launched for the suspect.
Meanwhile, the Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) has condemned the incident, describing it as a tragic consequence of witchcraft-related superstition.
The organisation called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the suspect and urged churches and religious leaders to refrain from promoting narratives that could encourage witch-hunting and violence against people accused of witchcraft.
Credit: Vanguard
