By Ike Uchechukwu

CALABAR—MR. Festus Anyanime, the man who allegedly poisoned his 11-year-old twin children, Emediong Festus and Mfoniso Festus, said he did it to free the children from witchcraft.

Anyanime, who has been arrested by the Cross River State Police Command, told Vanguard in Calabar, yesterday: “My intention initially was not to kill them; I did not do it intentionally.

“I have not been able to come to terms with what happened and I cannot really explain what happened. Since it happened I have not been myself.”

Festus Anyanime

Vanguard gathered that the 35-year-old taxi driver, who has been out of job for a while, was frustrated because he did not understand the reason behind his misfortune and was told by a spiritualists that his 11-year-old twin daughters were witches. So he needed to set them free.

He said: “I am not happy with myself. I will forever regret what happened. I suffered for those children and I wonder why I did that to them. It is largely the handiwork of the devil and I beg for God’s forgiveness.

“I was told that they were witches and I was taking them to where I could rescue (deliver) them, but there was a mysterious change of mind somewhere along the line.”

Presenting the suspects to newsmen in Calabar yesterday, the Acting Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa, alleged that the suspect killed his twins for confessing to being witches.

Inuwa said the incident happened on January 11 in Uyanga community, Akamkpa Local Government Area of the state, and was reported to the police by two persons from the same area.