A Cross River State High Court sitting in Calabar has sentenced a 51-year-old cleric, Apostle Ubong Bassey Etim, to death by hanging for murdering his 16-year-old daughter, Deborah Bassey.
Justice Blessing Egwu of High Court No. 11 found Etim guilty of murder after holding that the prosecution proved its case against him beyond reasonable doubt. The judge consequently ordered that he be executed by hanging.
Deborah, who reportedly had Down syndrome, was killed on February 15, 2025, after she was accused of being a witch.
The incident occurred at the family’s residence on Jacob Street, off Eyo Edem, in the Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Following Deborah’s death, the Cross River State Police Command launched a manhunt for Etim, who was accused of fleeing after the incident.
Police subsequently arrested him in March 2025, clearing the way for his investigation and prosecution over his daughter’s death.
During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence linking the cleric to the teenager’s death and maintained that she was killed after being subjected to a witchcraft accusation.
At the conclusion of the proceedings, Justice Egwu held that the evidence presented by the prosecution established the essential elements of murder and found Etim guilty as charged.
The court thereafter imposed the prescribed capital punishment and sentenced him to death by hanging.
The judgment brings the trial arising from Deborah’s February 2025 killing at the High Court to an end, subject to the convict’s right to challenge the decision before the appellate courts.
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