A Nigerian clergyman, Apostle Ubong Bassey Etim, has been sentenced to death by hanging for murdering his 16-year-old daughter, Deborah Bassey, whom he falsely branded a witch. Justice Blessing Egwu of High Court No. 11 Calabar delivered the ruling on Monday, finding that the prosecution proved the charge of murder beyond reasonable doubt.
Victim Had Down Syndrome
According to Dailytrust, the victim, Deborah Bassey, was 16 years old and lived with Down Syndrome at the time of her death. Etim had falsely accused his daughter of witchcraft 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.
Stakeholders Praised
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.
Related Crackdown on Religious Exploitation
In a related development, a prominent Pentecostal cleric in Anambra State, Archbishop Emma David Okaforagu, praised Governor Charles Soludo for his administration’s crackdown on religious leaders accused of fraudulent practices. The state government, led by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke (SAN), arraigned eight pastors before an Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka on Friday, June 5, over alleged orchestration of fake miracles designed to defraud worshippers.
