Witchcraft allegations: Ebonyi communities where people are dehumanised, illegally banished

…Human rights group, CSOs raise concerns, call for arrests of perpetrators

…Govt has not paid serious attention to the menace
By Jeff Agbodo

IN Ebonyi State, particularly in Izzi land, there has been an embarrassing increase in dehumanization and human abuse, including the banishment of people suspected to be witches.

Reports abound of cases of spiritual binding, tying, casting, or throwing away deformed persons, malnourished persons, and people living with protracted illnesses, tagging them witches and wizards.

In some cases, such people were taken to churches for deliverance and casting out of assumed demons tormenting them, while in some other communities, they accused them of being behind the misfortunes of some individuals or the community at large. After such persons are tagged as witches or wizards, they are ostracized or banished from the community.

A recent incident was the abuse of a child who was said to be sick always, and her parents got tired and brought her to a local prophet who labelled her a witch and started doing all manner of humiliating and abusive things to the child in the name of purging the evil in her.

The incident that happened at Isohumini Agbaja, Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, attracted wide attention on social media.

The Ebonyi State Police Command intervened and arrested the self-acclaimed prophet, one James Nwankpu, over alleged child abuse captured in a viral video circulating on social media.

The Command disclosed that the suspect was seen in the video carrying and handling a child in what it described as “an abusive and inhumane manner” while the child lay on bare ground.

“The Nigeria Police Force, Ebonyi State Command, has arrested one Nwankpu James following a viral video in which the suspect was seen carrying and handling a child in an abusive and inhumane manner while the child lay on bare ground.

“The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, Hope Urunwa Okafor, immediately directed operatives of the Command to ensure the arrest of the suspects and the rescue of the child,” the Command said in a statement.

The Police further disclosed that the rescued child had been taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA), for immediate medical attention, while investigations into the incident continue. The Command reiterated its commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of citizens, particularly children, and warned against all forms of child abuse and inhumane treatment.

The Command assured residents that it would continue to clamp down on individuals involved in acts capable of endangering the welfare and safety of children in the state.

The ugly incident attracted the attention of the Chairman of Ebonyi State Human Rights Defender, a human rights organisation, Chief Sampson Oko Nweke who raised the alarm on his social media platform and commended the Police for their prompt intervention in arresting and rescuing the child from being killed.

“This is Prophet James Nwankpu, the local Izzi pastor who branded a sick child a witch and allegedly made attempts to kill him.

“As we promised, both the pastor and the child’s parents are now in Police custody, while the innocent child has been rescued and taken to safety. The Police have commenced a full-scale investigation into the heartbreaking incident.

“We also deeply appreciate the individual who drew our attention to this ugly development, especially Comrade Leo Igwe and every other voice that spoke out against the wickedness and cruelty inflicted on this helpless child.

“Together, we shall continue to fight against ignorance, superstition, and violence, and make our society a safer and more humane place for all.”

A non-governmental organisation, Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AAW), strongly condemned the action of the said prophet and called on state government and security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators face the full weight of the law.

The group referenced another case of a man accused of being a wizard and ostracized in the Izzi Local Government Area.

The group urged security agencies and the government to go after prophets, pastors, and diviners, and other charlatans who use magical powers to cause confusion in families and communities.

Founder of AAW, Dr. Leo Igwe, narrated how one Chief Ekpono from Izzi community was accused of witchcraft and later ostracized with his family.

He lamented a case where a self-styled prophet, Ubadinma, and other Christian witch hunters went to a village and staged a witch-cleansing crusade, causing a crisis leading to injuries and destruction.

Igwe expressed concern that those arrested in respect to the Chief Ekpono case have not been prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

He said witchcraft exorcists who claim to conduct deliverance services and claim to expel witches and demons have caused so much crisis, pain, and death to innocent citizens in the communities.

The group noted that killing and victimisation of suspected witches in any guise is unlawful, regretting that it has continued unabated because the government has not paid serious attention to the menace.
He urged the Ebonyi State Government to take proactive measures against witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks.

He said: “Ebonyi State Government needs to take concrete steps to combat abuses and violations linked to witchcraft beliefs and ritual attacks.

“State and non-state actors must take legal and administrative measures, educational and political steps to address this menace. Witch hunting has become a sore on the social and moral conscience of the nation.

“It has been a source of pain, anguish, and embarrassment to all who yearn for progress and development. Incidentally, the response to abuses linked to witchcraft beliefs and ritual attacks has largely been reactive and ineffective.

“Witch hunting has not been treated with the urgency that it deserves. It is either that there are no interventions or the interventions come too little, too late. This has created a situation where perpetrators often get away with their crimes, leading them to assume they are above the law. This situation must change. All hands must be on deck to realise this change.

“When it comes to abuses linked to witchcraft beliefs and ritual attacks, impunity must end. The rule of law must apply. Necessary socio-cultural shifts must be made. There should be real consequences for witch hunting and related infractions.”

Igwe accused the Police and other security agencies of not doing enough to prosecute those who carry out the evil acts to serve as a deterrent.

“In some cases, they incited violence, instigated attacks, caused injuries and displacement of accused persons, including destruction of their houses and property.

“The Police intervened, made some arrests, but later released the suspects. Based on what we know at the moment, that matter is virtually dead. There have been no further actions, no more attempts to bring the perpetrators to justice. And there is no good reason for the justice delayed that is slowly turning into justice denied.

“In another particular incident here in Ebonyi, the Police arrested 17 suspects for murdering one Uromchi Okorocha in Afikpo last year. People accused the deceased of killing some individuals in the community through witchcraft and spiritual means.

“As we speak, there is no report of any progress on the case, no information regarding whether these suspects have been charged in a court or will ever be prosecuted as required by law.

“As is usually the case, the Police would detain them for some time, extort money from their relatives, and then release them. The pattern of combating crimes linked to witchcraft beliefs is not helpful. It encourages impunity and it has to stop, we have to change the narrative,” Igwe stated.

The traditional ruler of Nkaliki Unuhu Achara, Eze Sunday Oketa, while speaking on the previous incidents of the allegations of witchcraft in the community, condemned the action of youths and villagers who took the law into their hands.

The monarch attributed the banishment of some persons for alleged witchcraft to political gimmicks, envy, and hatred in Izzi land.

He said that the recent case of Udodimma in Izzi clan was caused by a pastor who claimed to be a seer, allegedly acting on a script by his political opponents.

“The recent banishment in Izzi was caused by envy and jealousy. So, what they do now is if you did not support a particular person in his political ambition, he can sponsor witchcraft on you through some youths or use a pastor to organise a prayer session just to implicate the person.

“Again, when someone is doing well in business or politics or is prosperous in a community where there are many poor people, they will tag you a ritualist who seizes other people’s fortune to prosper and thereby plot against such a person.

“My advice is that the government should properly investigate witchcraft allegations and sanction the offenders. In olden days, what our people did was if there was any suspected witch operating in the community, the villagers will gather at the village square to declare a curse on such person or persons, and after some weeks or months, they will start dying one by one.

“So, nobody banished or forced anyone out of the community. It is the suspect that will run out of the community when the gods begin to torment him or her after the village square traditional ceremony,” Eze Oketa stated.

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