Calabar: Teenager allegedly killed by clergyman over accusations of stealing

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.it’s heartbreaking, reprehensible, the girl must get justice – BRCI raise alarm

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By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

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Tragedy truck in Wula, in Eastern Boki, Boki local government area of Cross River state when a pastor allegedly beat a 14-year-old girl, Nancy Peter to death.

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The incident sparked outrage after allegations that she was first beaten by her mother and later flogged by a pastor over claims of theft.

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In a statement by the Cross River State Police Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, he disclosed that preliminary findings indicate that the victim, identified as Miss Nancy Peter, was first assaulted by her mother, Mrs. Agnes Peter, 45, before being taken to Pastor Samson Roman Dago, 43, who allegedly subjected her to further corporal punishment with a cane.

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He said a full-scale investigation has begun to really establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the involvement of all those linked to the tragedy.

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The command also dismissed, for now, social media claims that the girl was sexually assaulted, saying no evidence had been found to support such allegations.

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It added that medical examinations and other investigative steps were ongoing.

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Some village sources said the teenager became unconscious after the beating and was rushed to a medical facility in Wula Community, where doctors confirmed her dead on arrival.

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Vanguard gathered that the community has now been left in shock, as the death has revived painful concerns about the dangers of corporal punishment and the need for greater child protection.

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A child rights advocates, James Ibor esq, and principal Counsel at Basic Rights Counsel Initiative, ( BRCI)said that physical punishment does not correct children; it scars them, deepens fear, and can lead to irreversible harm.

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“It is reprehensible and heartbreaking , that in 2026 this kind of barbaric act will still be happening, after the child rights act was passed since 2023.

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“I’m calling on the Commissioner for police not to allow this girl’s murder to go unpunished , neither should it be forgotten like other murders of this nature.

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“A child should never be disciplined to the point of collapse. This is a tragedy that should never have happened, the police must do everything possible to ensure the girl get’s justice , it is a sad development, ibor said.

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