Man sentenced to death over murder of 9-year-old boy

Sunday, January 18, 2026 -A man has been sentenced to death nearly ten years after he killed a nine-year-old boy on his way to school.

Justice Archibong Archibong of the Akwa Ibom State High Court, sitting in Uyo, on the weekend sentenced 38-year-old Anwanga Effiong Udofia to hang for the murder of Master Aniekan Idongesit Edet, a pupil of Lutheran Primary School, Itoko.

Court records showed that on December 6, 2016, Udofia attacked the boy with two machetes. A friend of Aniekan said he saw Udofia chasing the child with the weapons. The boy’s body was found the following day, with one hand severed and a deep cut on his neck.

During the trial, the prosecution presented witnesses and evidence, and the court found Udofia guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

Chief Udobong Akai, a community leader, said the judgement brought closure to the Itoko community after nearly a decade of grief.