Unease In Ukanafun Over Jungle Justice
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There has been uneasy calm in Ukanafun Ikot Ekpat in the Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where a man believed to be in his 40s, was stripped naked and paraded in the village for allegedly stealing.
The man was accused of stealing 75 litres of palm oil supposedly belonging to a certain Ifiok Silas, also from the same village.
TNN learnt that Silas had dragged the man to a juju priest for fact finding, in an apparent move to confirm if he actually stole the palm oil. The juju priest, known in local parlance as Ukang, was said to have confirmed that the man stole the palm oil.
In a commando style, Silas raised the alarm in the village which attracted the attention of youths. They tied a rope used to climb palm tree, known in the village as Ikpo Ajop, and stripped him naked. They beat him black and blue.
He was then taken to the village head, Chief Okon Udo Ebeka, who was said to have been miffed by the action of the youths. He chased them away, just as he warned that he was not comfortable with the jungle justice meted to the man.
In an interview, the village head said the proper thing to do was for them to have reported the matter to him, rather than take the laws into their hands, before coming to him to report.