One warm windy afternoon, Ejinator (not real name) found himself surrounded by angry residents of his community, shouting invectives and abuses at him. He was confused and tried to find out what the problem was. Even as he tried asking questions, they descended on him, and striped him naked save for his boxer shorts.
He was pushed out and paraded along the streets accused of using witchcraft to decimate the fortunes of members of his family. At a point, the crowd which was made up of mostly youths and young children sat Ejinator on the ground, beating him with tree branches and threatening dire consequences unless he confesses his malevolent doings.
In a way, Ejinator, who was a teenager then, is one of the lucky ones because he came out of the ordeal with bruises and a dirtied body. Others who have faced similar persecutions and attacks based on accusations of being a witch or wizard, have had very sordid tales to tell, with physical. emotional and phycological scars leaving indelible marks on them.
At a recent event held in Calabar, the Akwa Ibom State capital, to draw attention to the plight of people being accused of witchcraft and the horrific abuses meted out to these set of people, comprising mainly of women, children, and elderly persons, participants narrated horrifying experiences, about how their lives were turn apart and in some instances how they were thrown into the streets by family members who should have protected and cared for them.
One participant recounted that she was accused of being a witch after over ten years of marriage without a child. Another participant narrated a case where a domestic servant was accused and sent away by the family that he was living with. In one instance, someone shared a story of how a very young child was brutalized and even hit with a stick by her guardian, after her guardian’s pastor said the child was the cause of calamities that had befallen the family.
There was also the story of an elderly man who was abandoned by his children to live in penury and suffering because they said he was a wizard, and the source of their lack of progress in the family. The same man was the one who had sponsored two of his five children to become graduates until old age overtook him and his strength failed him to continue the struggle to sponsor their education any further. The ones who had graduated got jobs and helped the others establish small businesses. But somehow, the old man was blamed for ‘tying’ their growth in the spiritual realm.
Unfortunately, many accused persons resign to fate. They are sometimes forced to confess and admit to offenses that they never committed. Many victims and their families resign to their situation out of fear of suffering further stigmatization and victimization.
In many communities across Nigeria and Africa, perversion allegations of witchcraft have caused a lot of havoc. These allegations are based on falsehoods, fear, ignorance, and superstitions. Unfortunately, people take drastic actions based on these false alarms. They attack, beat to death, and lynch the accused.
Leo Igwe, founder of the Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) noted that many accused persons have been banished, tortured or victimized. And that victims were mainly the weak and vulnerable members of the population, those without the means to resist and neutralize allegations. Thus accusers often targeted women, the elderly, children, the poor, the disabled.
According to him, “the root causes of witchcraft accusations are poverty, ignorance and fear…, this habit of not criticizing religious, cultural and traditional beliefs and practices is a factor. It has led to impunity and a situation where witch hunters often get away with their crimes”.
AfAW group during a recent programme against witch-hunting
Spurred by tradition and religious bodies
Witchcraft belief is seen as a tradition, one which Igwe believes is a categorical mistake that has to be corrected. “Yes the belief is passed down from the past but it should not be passed on to future generation. It is the duty of this generation of Nigerians to ensure that this obligation is fulfilled”, he stated.
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He also believes churches are a part of the problem. “In many parts of the country, they are the main cause and driver of witchcraft accusation and witch hunting. Churches and pastors poison the minds of people and get them to believe that there are witches in their families and these supposed witches are responsible for illnesses, deaths, and lack of progress in their communities.
“Churches organise programs inciting hatred and violence against supposed witches. There have been cases where pastors and evangelists claim to have the power to identify and exorcise witchcraft. As long as those who claim to identify and expel ‘witches’ continue to operate freely in our society; as long as witch hunters, witch identifiers and witch exorcizers are not brought to justice this problem will persist”, Igwe emphatically said.
Challenge in tackling witch-hunters
In his fight to protect children and the elderly accused of witchcraft from persecution and abuse he lamented that a major challenge is access because “too often the abusers are usually family members, relatives and those who should be protecting the accused. In these situations it is very difficult to intervene and to get the accused to challenge and tackle their accusers. It is difficult to bring the accusers to justice. Getting the police to intervene has been a huge challenge because many police officers are witchcraft believers and do not buy into the idea that accusers or witch hunters should be arrested, prosecuted and punished even though witchcraft accusation is against the law.
“The police ask for money and mobilisation fees before they go to make arrest. So they ask us to pay for their work otherwise they abandon the case. The court processes are slow and convictions are rare. Accused persons abandon the case after a while. There are no government shelters for victims and ministries of women affairs and social welfare rarely act on cases reported to them. Limited funding means that we are unable to intervene or sustain intervention”.
What to do
Igwe called on the Nigerian government to implement the 2021 United Nations resolution on Elimination of harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks, to ensure that children, elderly and other vulnerable groups are well protected from this issue of persecution and abuse over allegations of being witches and wizards.
He also called on government to enforce the law, punish accusers and protect the accused. “Witchcraft accusation is an offence under the law. So it is a crime to accuse, or to brand someone a witch. It is an offence to engage in torture, trial by ordeal, and jungle justice. These crimes are perpetrated against the accused. So the impunity must end. Accusers and abusers should be made to pay for their crimes”.
Igwe also called on the media to help educate and enlighten the public; to stop publishing sensational stories that reinforce witchcraft beliefs and narratives. “Many newspapers publish headlines about ‘bird witches’, ‘flying witches’ crash-landing, or supposed witches confessing….these stories are not facts and tend to legitimize witchcraft fears and the grip of occult anxieties on the minds of the public. Such publications are a disservice to humanity and should stop, because they sanctify witch persecution and minimize the horrific abuse of supposed witches”, he stated.
“The society should join efforts with the Advocacy for Alleged Witches in protecting victims of witch persecution, in enlightening and educating the accused. The public should abandon witchcraft and other superstitions and embrace science and critical thinking. Witch hunting ended in the west centuries ago…ending witch hunting in Nigeria is long overdue.
“The Scottish church has apologized for their role in witch hunting in early modern Europe, the churches in Nigeria and Africa should get on board and repent of their misdeed. They should stop enabling witch hunting in the region”.
He further stated that witch hunting is an embarrassing development that reinforces the negative perception of Africa and Africans. “It is a stain on the African conscience, an indictment on African claim to humanity. Witch hunting should end now, without any delay. It lacks any justification in the name of religion culture and tradition. Witch hunting is hampering the realization of African enlightenment. It is the duty of every African to ensure that this shameful and disgraceful practice stops”.
By: Kayode Shodipe
The post FEATURE… WITCH-HUNTING: Victims pay horrible prices for oppressors to escape reality appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Naomisophyblog.
