The headless body of a 70 year old man
identified as Udo Jimmy (AKA Ete- Isang) has been discovered in a small village called Ikot Odion in Eket Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State.
Ete-Isang, as he was fondly called left his house in the evening of Monday to scout for straws to feed his goat, but did not return back even after night-fall. Worried by this strange development,his children quickly reported the matter to the newly elected Village Head who immediately summoned an emergency town hall meeting of all the villagers to discuss the matter. A search party was immediately dispatched to comb the bushes in the direction where he was said to have been seen earlier in the day. His lifeless body was found just less than half a mile from his backyard along the road leading to a nearby stream called Odu Iyak.
The Divisional Police office of Eket, Mr Idowu Owohunwa was intimated and immediately visited the scene alongside some of his men for proper investigation. No arrest was, however, made as no strong suspect was identified by the villagers during the course of police preliminary investigation. But a young lady in her early thirties simply known as Edikan later came forward and said she saw a strange young man along the road of the bush stream while going to fetch water to cook food for her children. She said she met a young man who easily got angry with her and questioned why she was staring at him so intently, further threatening to beat her if she continued staring at him. She finished by indicating that she did not know him but could recognize him if she saw him again.
A community leader, Mr Akpe Isang, while reacting to the incident said he believed that it was the hash way which poverty has significantly ravaged the state that has. compelled young men to resort to ritual killings by beheading people to make quick money. But in contrast to this, a second school of thought blamed the killing of this septuagenarian on witchcraft. One of the community spokespersons who spoke on account of anonymity said Mr Jimmy returned from Calabar three years ago after the death of his eldest son and settled at home. Witchcraft was widely believed to be the cause of his son’s death. Killings like this has been going on for some time now in different parts of Akwa Ibom State which may not have any connection with politics as they mostly involved people from the local community. In Oron area, for instance, about seven people were beheaded just last month alone in different villages. However, what may be the cause of this very death, still remains a mystery.
But it will be recalled that in 2001, more than eleven people including children believed to be witches and wizards were tortured and killed in this village alone and buried in an unknown mass grave