On the outskirts of Calabar, in the Ndon Owong hamlet of the Odukpani Local Government Area, the police detained four youths on Monday after beating to death five people, including a widow, on the suspicion that they were witches.
A relative of one of the victims identified himself only as Etim and claimed that the victims had been taken from their homes at random, brought to the town square, and then brutally murdered with sticks by several neighbourhood residents.
“One of the victims is a window, Mrs Asuquo Iya. Her husband passed away in 2021 and she has been struggling to cope with the stress of taking care of the children when she was tagged a witch and hacked to death,” Etim told newsmen.
He said the five persons were buried in a shallow grave on the outskirts of the community.
“We have reported the matter to the police and want justice to be done. I had to escape from the village because I could also be attacked and killed for reporting the matter to the police “
Ms Irene Ugbo, the Cross River Police Command spokesman said some policemen sent on surveillance to the community were held hostage by the youths until operatives of anti-cultism who stormed the village rescued the policemen and arrested four youths.
“Investigation is ongoing and more persons would be arrested to make sure we get to the root of the matter.”