Man beheaded over son’s illness in A’Ibom

Ini Billie Uyo

A member of Iceland Confraternity, a cult group in Akwa Ibom State, one Aniebiet Ekpu, aka, United, has allegedly beheaded one Mr Udo Mfuk for spiritually tormenting his (Mfuk) son in Inen community, Oruk Anam Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.

It was gathered that the man was killed on Monday when the suspect dragged the deceased from his house, tied him to a tree and used a machete to sever his head.

An eyewitness, Ntiense Noah disclosed that after the incident, Ekpu who accosted the victim with his gang, left the headless body in a pool of his blood, forcing family members of the deceased to flee for safety.

He said: “The gang led by Aniebiet Friday Ekpu, aka, ‘United’ moved to the deceased’s compound and dragged him out, tied him to a tree and beheaded him.

“After killing the man, he went to a nearby compound and ransacked houses, seizing phones and robbed the village council chairman, Mr Uduak Noah of his new motorcycle that he recently bought.”

It was learnt that some youths blamed the deceased for the sickness of his (Mr Udo Mfuk’s) son who has been bedridden for over six months and whose ill health has defied all prayers and traditional treatment.

The aggrieved youths of the village were said to have threatened the deceased, noting that the deceased was using witchcraft to torment his son, forcing the victim to report himself to the village council for an investigation into the incident.

Another eyewitness, Nsidibe Effiong said: “The elders and the youths of this village have investigated the man using traditional means and he was still being investigated before the ‘boys killed him yesterday.

“Even the sick young man is not dead, but his father has been killed. We believe that the suspect is a member of the Iceland Confraternity who has terrorized this community last year. Now that he has escaped, we are afraid of what will happen here by this end of the year.”

Meanwhile, the family of the deceased has deposited the corpse in the mortuary, after reporting the incident to the Oruk Anam Divisional Police Station.

When the Police Public Relations Officer SP Odiko Macdon was contacted, he said the Divisional Police Officer in OrukAnam had yet to report the case to the State Command.

“I am not aware of such report. But let me cross-check my records and get back to you. Immediately we receive such report, the police would commence an investigation,” he said.