Nigerian Clergyman Apostle Ubong Etim Sentenced to Death for Killing Daughter He Called Witch
- A Cross River court convicted Apostle Ubong Bassey Etim for the murder of his 16-year-old daughter, Deborah Bassey, who had Down Syndrome
- Justice Blessing Egwu of High Court No. 11 Calabar ruled that the prosecution proved the murder charge beyond reasonable doubt
- Child rights group BRCI called the verdict a landmark victory in the fight against witchcraft branding and violence targeting children with disabilities
A Nigerian clergyman has been condemned to death by hanging after a court found him guilty of killing his teenage daughter on the basis of a witchcraft accusation he fabricated against her.
Justice Blessing Egwu of High Court No. 11 Calabar delivered the ruling on Monday, finding that the prosecution had established the charge of murder against Apostle Ubong Bassey Etim beyond reasonable doubt.
Source: Original
Accroding to Dailytrust, the victim, Deborah Bassey, was 16 years old and lived with Down Syndrome at the time of her death.
Etim had falsely branded his daughter a witch before taking her life, a case that drew sharp condemnation from child and human rights organisations across Nigeria when it first came to light.
Rights groups hail the verdict
The Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI) welcomed the conviction, describing it as a landmark moment in the broader effort to shield children from witchcraft branding and the violence that typically follows such accusations.
In a statement signed by Principal Counsel and Co-Founder James Ibor, the organisation said the judgment carries a clear message: anyone who subjects a child to violence or death on the basis of false witchcraft claims will face the full force of the law.
"The verdict sends a strong message that those who subject children to violence or death based on false witchcraft allegations will face the full weight of the law," Ibor wrote.
The BRCI added that beyond delivering justice for Deborah, the judgment strengthens ongoing efforts to stamp out harmful practices that leave children vulnerable to abuse, torture, abandonment, and death.
The group praised the Nigeria Police Force, the Cross River State Ministry of Justice, the judiciary, and other stakeholders for their contributions to securing the conviction.
It also renewed its pledge to sustain advocacy against witchcraft branding and related forms of violence until such practices are fully eliminated and perpetrators are brought to justice without exception.
Deborah's killing had previously sparked widespread outrage among child welfare and human rights bodies, who condemned it as yet another devastating example of what happens when disability is met with superstition and cruelty rather than care.
Source: Twitter
Bishop speaks out after Soludo arrested 8 pastors
Legit.ng earlier reported that a prominent Pentecostal cleric in Anambra State, Archbishop Emma David Okaforagu, has praised Governor Charles Soludo for his administration's crackdown on religious leaders accused of fraudulent practices in the state.
Archbishop Okaforagu, who spoke with Legit.ng correspondent, maintained that such a measure is a step towards protecting vulnerable citizens from religious exploitation. Agents of the state government, led by the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke (SAN), on Friday, June 5, arraigned eight pastors before an Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka, over alleged orchestration of fake miracles, which are staged divine interventions designed to defraud worshippers.
Source: Legit.ng
