Policeman brutalises eight-year-old daughter over witchcraft

A police sergeant from Ibiaku community,
Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa
Ibom State, Mr. Ita Ayamba, has allegedly
brutalised and abandoned his eight-year-old
daughter, Goodness Ayamba over her refusal
to confess to witchcraft.



Ita was said to have paraded the little girl along
the village streets naked, declaring that
Goodness was responsible for his
retrogression in the Police Force. A source and relative of Ita, told our
correspondent in Eket on Saturday, on the
condition of anonymity, that the police sergeant tortured his daughter
for several hours in an attempt to extract a
confession of being a witch from her. He said, “When he discovered that Goodness
had passed out, Ita abandoned her, having hit
her chest with the butt of his AK 47 Rifle. “None of us could go close to Ita to rescue
Goodness as he had threatened to shoot
anyone that dared. “I don’t see how a child of that age could
become a clog in the wheel of her father’s
progress in the Police Force. We need to tell
each other the truth. Progress in one’s career
depends on the efforts one has made
academically.” PUNCH Metro gathered that Ita had divorced
Goodness’ mother some years back. He was
said to have remarried almost immediately,
leaving three children including Goodness with
their grandmother. A resident of the area, Okon Ekong, said that
on July 28, 2013 when the children were on
holiday, Ita had requested custody of them. He
was said to be at his new station in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State, at the time. Ita’s former wife, Mrs. Anietie Ayamba,
allegedly heeded his request and took the
children to him. Ekong said that the children’s
stepmother made life miserable for them. He said, “It was during their stay in Port
Hracourt, that their stepmother took the
children to a Pentecostal church. Goodness was
accused of witchcraft at the church. Her
stepmother was told that Goodness was the
person responsible for their father’s non-rising profile in the force. “The father who was also in the church began
to beat and kick Goodness in a bid to extract a
confession about her witchcraft.” When PUNCH Metro visited Immanuel Hospital,
Eket, Eket LGA, on Saturday, where Goodness
was taken to for medical attention, it was
gathered that she had been admitted at the
intensive care unit of the children’s ward. Nurses at the hospital said Goodness’ condition
was stable but that her bones and chest cavity
had been badly damaged. A group of women lawyers under the aegis of
Federation of International Women Lawyers
have said that they would do everything within
their power to ensure that Ita was brought to
justice. The state director of the organisation, Mrs.
Mary Udonsek, stated that the women would
not continue to sit back and allow men maltreat
their children on the guise of labelling them
witches. Ita, said to be working at Trans Amadi Police
Station, Port Harcourt, Rivers State had
allegedly not been to Ibiaku, Mkpat Enin LGA
since the incident. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr.
Etim Dickson, said the Rivers State Police
Command would be contacted about the
matter. He said, “Messages have been sent across to
police area commands in Oron and Ikot Ekpene
so that Ita will not have any place to hide once
he is in the state.”