A middle-aged man, identified as Emmanuel Akposi, has been declared wanted after allegedly dousing his elderly mother with fuel and setting her ablaze at Ojo community in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The victim, identified by family sources as Mrs Atim Akposi, also known as Atim Eyo, suffered severe burns in the incident on Friday, August 14. She was rushed to a community health centre in Ojo, then transferred to Akamkpa General Hospital and later to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, where she died in the early hours of Monday.
The incident was reportedly triggered by persistent allegations by the suspect that his mother was a witch and responsible for the death of his child.
Speaking with Vanguard by telephone on Wednesday, the suspect’s elder brother, Mr Eyo Akposi, said Emmanuel had accused their mother of witchcraft for several years.
“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.
“He even accused her of being the cause of the death of his child. He confronted her many times, trying to kill her, until the incident of last week,” he alleged.
Eyo said that on the day of the incident, Emmanuel entered their mother’s room and allegedly attempted to strangle her.
“On that day, he entered her room and tried to strangle her. When she resisted, he hit her and she fell to the ground. Then he poured fuel on her and set her on fire and fled immediately afterwards,” he said.
He added that neighbours raised the alarm and assisted in moving the victim to hospital after witnessing the incident.
Eyo said he was informed of the attack after a video of the incident was sent to him, adding that he subsequently advised family members 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.
According to him, the incident had been reported to the Uyanga Divisional Police Station in Akamkpa, which had commenced investigation and launched a manhunt for the suspect.
Meanwhile, the Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) has condemned the attack, describing it as a brutal consequence of witchcraft superstition.
Speaking with Vanguard, the Director of AfAW, Leo Igwe, who brought the incident to public attention, condemned the attack.
“Mrs Akposi’s death underscores the vicious impact of witchcraft suspicion and accusation on innocent lives,” he said.
AfAW called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the suspect and urged churches to stop promoting narratives that could fuel witch-hunting and violence against alleged witches.
