Man poisons his 11-year old twin daughters to death for being 'witches' in Calabar

A 40-year-old man named Anyanime Festus has being arrested by the Cross River State Police Command for allegedly poisoning his twin daughters in Akampka Local Government Area of Cross River in Calabar.

The father poisoned his children because he blamed them for the death of his parents.
The father was arrested by the Divisional Police Station, Akampka, and then transferred to Police Headquarters in Calabar.

The suspect allegedly gave his 11-year-old twin daughters a black substance mixed with acid, took them to a bush path and made them drink it. The substance which is believed to be poison, led to their 
death on January 10 and 11, 2017.

According to Vanguard, a source said:

“The man told us that his daughters confessed to be witches and that he had no choice other than to kill them before they kill him. So he mixed acid with malt, took the twins to a bush path and gave them the substance to drink.”

Another source said:

“The twins were always wandering the streets. When brought back home by strangers, Festus usually chased them out again without food. Sometimes they were locked up and not given food for days.”

Vanguard reports that the twin girls had been imprisoned by their father for about three days after which he told them that he was going to them to school. He let them out and took them to the bush path where they were both poisoned

An eyewitness, said that before one of the twins died, she revealed that their father had taken them to a bush path at Nyaghasan on a bike, brought out a black substance and gave to them to drink.
She said they both drank it, but because the substance was bitter, she refused the second portion, but her sister drank both portions that their father offered them.

She said the twin said after they took the poison,  they started having stomach ache and complained to their father, who then pretended like he was going to get help for them but never returned for them.
The witness said:

“Not too long after, they started feeling dizzy and then fell asleep. When she woke up and tapped her sister, she was no longer breathing. 

“The deceased said she had to drag her sister’s lifeless body from the bush to the road. It was in the process that a good Samaritan saw them and informed the police, who then took both of them to Akamkpa General Hospital, where she later died at about 3:40a.m., on January 11.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the incident, said:

“We have apprehended the suspect; he was brought from Akamkpa this morning (Monday) to the headquarters. He confessed that he gave his daughters acid mixed with malt to drink because he had a premonition that they would kill him like they killed his parents. 

“He had the belief because they confessed to him that they were witches. So he carried out the dastardly act to save his life first.”