Man Hacked To Death For Confronting Herbalist Itoro, the first son and the breadwinner of the family,
was allegedly hacked to death by a herbalist, Ette
Okon on Friday, following a misunderstanding.
Rita Emmanuel, a cousin of the deceased, a
commercial motor cyclist, told the story of the
murder. According to her, Itoro lived with his parents
in their grass house in Ikot Abasi Effiom, in Akpabuyo
Local Government Area of Cross River State until he
rented a room in a house close to his parents’.
“About a month ago, he decided to rent a room in the
next street so that his wife who was about to deliver
a baby could have more space and we all agreed that
it was okay. He got a room in Ette Friday’s house and
moved there”.
Rita explained that everything was fine until Ndarake,
Itoro’s wife, gave birth and the baby died within days.
After the death of the baby, the wife, according to the
cousin, became sick and suffered epileptic seizures.
Friday, described as a herbalist, was said to have
claimed he could heal the woman and asked for
N5.000 to get materials to heal her.
Rita stated that after Friday took the money, he
assured Itoro that his wife would soon recover and
commenced treatment but that didn’t happen.
Rita said:“Last year, Itoro lost his first wife after she
gave birth to their second daughter; so he was
worried that his second wife taking care of the two
children was going to die too.
He asked the herbalist why the state of his wife was
getting worse when it ought to be improving since
the man had been given the money he demanded
and he assured that he would treat the woman .
The man did not say anything; he simply went inside
his shrine and brought out a machete and cut Itoro’s
throat”.
A resident, who gave his name as Monday, said when
people heard Itoro’s cries that night, they rushed to
the herbalist’s house and met Itoro in a pool of
blood.
According to him, when the herbalist saw them, he
threatened them with a machete. This, he said,
angered the residents who took matters into their
hands, overpowered him, cut his own throat,
dumped the body inside the shrine and set the place
ablaze.
“The remains of the herbalist were eaten by dogs
which he deserves because we could not understand
why he should kill a young man for asking why the
state of his wife whom he was treating was
worsening rather than improving”.
Mr Hogan Bassey, the spokesman for the Command,
said the matter was being investigated.
