A High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced 29-year-old Akaninyene Thomas Okpon to death by hanging for the brutal murder of his elder brother, Friday Thomas Enyenokpon.
The tragic event took place in Ikot Abasi Asutan, located within the Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.
In 2018, Akaninyene, a father of three, along with his late elder brother, Ime Thomas Okpon, ambushed and killed their sibling while he was inspecting his hunting traps.
The court heard that the victim was beheaded, with the head buried separately, following accusations of witchcraft and blame for the duo’s personal hardships.
Presiding over the case (Suit No. HU/5C/2019), Justice Okon Okon on Thursday delivered the judgment, affirming that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court relied on Akaninyene’s confessional statement and supporting evidence, including his cooperation with investigators by leading them to the crime scene where the body was recovered.
The court also observed that the convict, a primary three dropout, had a history of issuing death threats to the deceased and other family members.
Justice Okon pronounced, “The sentence of the Court upon you, Akaninyene Thomas Okpon, is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead.”
In addition to the sentence, the court ordered that the two machetes used in the killing, tendered as Exhibits 1 and 1A, be forfeited to the state.
The second defendant in the case, Ime Thomas Okpon, passed away while in custody before the conclusion of the trial.