Youths in Old Netim community, Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, have burnt a woman, to death on suspicion of witchcraft.
Martina Okey Itagbor, accused of witchcraft was forcefully fingered to be behind a fatal auto crash which took the lives of two young men in the community. Outrage trailed the auto crash and the victim was hunted down by some community youths, dragged out, hands bound and decked in motor tyres before she was set ablaze and left to burn to death, in very gory circumstances.
While she can be seen writhing in pains, some community youths can be seen standing by and adding a highly inflammable substance, suspected to be petrol, on the burning lady, in the video sighted by www.calitown.com.
While no immediate excuse has been offered for the inability of security agents, present at the scene, to stop this act, community sources informed us that the policemen at the scene were greatly outnumbered by irate youths.
We also gathered that this is not the first burning of a human being in Old Netim community as this bizarre occurrence is gradually becoming synonymous with the community.
When the community lost her first indigenous Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Omongha and his colleague, Rev. Father Nwek, “news immediately filtered in that some ‘witches’ from old Netim were responsible for Rev. Father Omongha’s demise”, a former aide to immediate past CRS governor, Castro Ezama, informed us.
“This (unverified) information infuriated some youths of old Netim and they went on rampage for immediate revenge. Several elders in the community were set ablaze inside their houses while others were lucky to escape; such gross wickedness”, he further informed.
Irene Ugbo, a Superintendent of Police and Police Public Relations Officer, CRS, when contacted, described the incident as “barbaric and something that should not happen where decent people exist.” She promised that the Commissioner of Police, CRS, Gyogon Augustine Grimah, will be fully briefed so that the police will bring those identified in the video, to be behind the act, to book.