For decades, allegations of witchcraft have triggered deadly mob attacks, destruction of property, forced displacement and social ostracism of countless Nigerians, many of whom are never proven to have committed any wrongdoing. The world recently marked this year’s World Day Against Witch Hunt, prompting DAMIAN DURUIHEOMA to examine the human cost of these accusations.

The stories come from different communities, but they follow a hauntingly familiar script. In a community in Ebonyi State, a man was allegedly thrown into a river after villagers concluded that he had “stolen the destinies” of young people. In another case in the state in 2024, a man was stripped naked, beaten, starved for days and had his houses destroyed after a self-acclaimed pastor reportedly declared him responsible for the lack of progress among the village’s youths.

Hundreds of kilometres away in Abia State, a 45-year-old widow, Mrs. Amarachi Nwokeji, found herself branded a witch after a family dispute over funeral proceeds. The accusation escalated after her brother-in-law died and his wife blamed Amarachi for the tragedy. A native doctor reportedly reinforced the allegation, forcing village youths to have the mother of 10 children bound hands and legs, dragged along community roads and flogged to near death to the satisfaction of villagers. Although she survived the beating, the widow and her 10 children have been left to live under the weight of fear, stigma and rejection.

More recently, a pastor in Ebonyi State allegedly labelled a chronically ill child a witch, subjecting the child to torture instead of compassion before human rights activists intervened.

Different victims, different communities, yet each story illustrates how suspicion, superstition and unverified claims can rapidly spiral into violence.

For human rights advocate Dr. Leo Igwe, these are not isolated incidents. They are evidence of a persistent pattern that continues to claim victims across many African communities.

Speaking at a press conference in Enugu ahead of this year’s World Day Against Witch Hunt on August 10, the Convener of the Advocacy for Alleged Witches said accusations of witchcraft remain one of the least discussed but most dangerous human rights violations affecting vulnerable Nigerians.

According to him, the victims are often elderly women, widows, children, people living with mental illnesses or disabilities, and individuals already marginalised by poverty.

“What follows these accusations is often jungle justice,” Igwe said. “People are beaten, subjected to trial by ordeal, lynched, stoned, abandoned to die or chased out of their communities simply because someone blames them for sickness, infertility, poverty or lack of progress.”

Igwe noted that while Europe largely abandoned witch hunts centuries ago, many African communities continue to experience similar persecutions despite growing legal protections.

Drawing from his doctoral research on witchcraft accusations conducted in Ghana, he said many allegations share remarkably similar patterns.

“Someone dreams that another person is pressing their chest at night. The next morning they pick up a machete and attack the person they dreamt about. Others consult a pastor or traditional healer who points to an elderly woman as the cause of their problems, and immediately violence begins.”

He explained that many accused elderly people are actually suffering from dementia or other mental health conditions that communities wrongly interpret as evidence of witchcraft.

“Instead of taking them for medical treatment, people interrogate them until they make incoherent statements and use those statements as proof that they are witches,” he said.

His experiences convinced him to establish the Advocacy for Alleged Witches in 2021, an organisation that deliberately takes the side of people accused of witchcraft.

“We don’t begin by asking whether the accusation is true. We first protect the victim because experience has shown that these people are usually innocent victims of fear, superstition and misinformation.”

Igwe recounted several disturbing cases handled by his organisation, including a recent incident in which a victim from Ebonyi was brutally assaulted after suspects accused of attacking him had already been arrested and taken to court.

According to him, two vigilante members allegedly attacked the same victim again shortly after he was granted bail, forcing him to seek refuge in Enugu while his organisation mobilised police intervention.

It has become a tug of war. The accusers are often richer, more influential and politically connected while the victims are poor elderly villagers who do not even know where the nearest police station is.”

He disclosed that responding to such cases has become financially draining, with some rescue operations costing hundreds of thousands of naira to transport police officers into remote communities, engage lawyers and support victims through lengthy court proceedings.

Beyond physical violence, Igwe said sensational media reports also contribute to the problem.

He criticised reports that casually describe mentally ill individuals as “witches” or claim that women transformed into birds without any factual evidence.

“When journalists report that witches gathered somewhere without seeing any witch, they reinforce dangerous beliefs that can eventually cost innocent people their lives,” he said.

Igwe also accused some religious leaders of fuelling persecution by attributing illnesses, poverty and family misfortunes to witchcraft instead of encouraging medical care or lawful dispute resolution.

He cited the recent case of a child with downsyndrome in Cross River who was allegedly tortured after a pastor claimed the child transformed into a snake, a case that eventually resulted in the pastor’s conviction.

For this year’s advocacy campaign, the organisation has shifted attention to traditional rulers, whom Igwe described as critical gatekeepers in rural communities where many accusations originate.

According to him, some traditional institutions unknowingly legitimise witchcraft accusations under the guise of preserving culture.

“Our tradition is not to persecute innocent people,” he stressed. “Our tradition is to care for our elderly, our widows and our children, not to beat them or call them witches.”

He urged traditional rulers to become advocates for justice by discouraging mob actions and insisting that all disputes be handled within the framework of the law.

Igwe also reminded Nigerians that the law is already clear on the issue. NigeriaTravel Guides

Referring to Section 210 of the Criminal Code, he said accusing someone of practising witchcraft is itself a criminal offence, just as falsely claiming such powers can also attract legal consequences because of the fear and violence such claims often generate.

He encouraged victims to report cases to the police, the National Human Rights Commission and the media rather than suffer in silence.

For Igwe, ending witchcraft-related violence will require more than arrests. It demands education, stronger institutions, responsible journalism, accountable religious and traditional leaders, and communities willing to replace fear with facts.

As another World Day Against Witch Hunt approaches, the stories from Ebonyi, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and other communities remain painful reminders that behind every witchcraft accusation is often not a supernatural mystery, but an ordinary Nigerian whose greatest crime may simply be old age, illness, poverty or being different.(The Nation)