A High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced 29-year-old Akaninyene Thomas Okpon to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of his elder brother, Friday Thomas Enyenokpon. The crime took place in Ikot Abasi Asutan, located in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.
The court heard that in 2018, Akaninyene, along with another brother, Ime Thomas Okpon, who later died in custody during the trial, ambushed their sibling while he was checking his hunting traps. They killed him, severed his head, and buried it separately. The motive behind the act, according to their confessions, was their belief that the deceased was a witch responsible for the family’s struggles.
Justice Okon Okon, delivering judgment in Suit No. HU/5C/2019, said the prosecution had convincingly established the case beyond reasonable doubt. The court relied heavily on the defendant’s confession, which was supported by evidence from the crime scene.
The convict, a father of three who dropped out of school in Grade Three, had reportedly threatened to kill his brother and other family members prior to the murder. During the investigation, he led the police to the exact location where the victim’s body was recovered.
Justice Okon pronounced the final sentence, stating, “The sentence of the court upon you, Akaninyene Thomas Okpon, is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead.”
