Changes come slowly, if any, in Liberia. I know this relatively sparsely populated West African country and its 5.5 million people pretty well after following events and developments in this fascinating and sympathetic country since 1975. I have posted earlier on the topic of trial by ordeal, commonly called ‘sassywood trial’ in Liberia, which of course is forbidden, outlawed, but unfortunately persistent in local culture and the minds of superstitious people. See e.g. my post of August 29, 2020, on a woman in neighboring Grand Gedeh County who had died after reportedly taking ‘sassywood’ to clear her from witchcraft accusations.
Nimba County is located in northeastern Liberia and borders French-speaking Guinea and Ivory Coast (at least, the official language, of course the various ethnic groups speak their own languages). It cannot be ruled out, rather it is to be expected, that age-old traditions such as trial by ordeal also occurs in neighboring countries where the same ethnic groups including the Dan, also known as Gio and Mano, live. (FVDK)
Liberia: Trial By Ordeal Reportedly Kills Six In Nimba County
Published: July 24, 2024 By: Jerry T. Myers, FrontPageAfrica
GBLOR DIALAH, Nimba – A woman identified as Golon Kruah, a resident of Dialah Town, reportedly died after consuming a substance given to her by an Ivorian traditional witchdoctor, Gweh Genlaly. The witchdoctor was brought to the town by local citizens to cleanse the area of witchcraft activities.
Gweh Genlaly administered sassywood to the woman after she allegedly confessed to being involved in witchcraft activities that had claimed several lives and caused suffering to others. According to an eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity, the sassywood was given to the deceased overnight. She died hours later and was immediately buried before the arrival of security personnel and local district leaders, who were alerted about the incident in the morning.
The Acting Paramount Chief of Gblor Clan, Oksen Troh, said he had earlier warned the witchdoctor and the youth hosting her in the community against administering sassywood. However, they violated his order and went ahead with the ritual overnight.
Mr. Troh explained that his refusal to allow the administration of sassywood was based on instructions from the County Administrative Officer, who had banned trial by ordeal in Liberia. After his objection, the citizens wrote a resolution to Mr. Daniel Zekpeh, the County Administrative Officer, during his visit to the clan. Zekpeh instructed them to give the document to Troh, but it was not given to him due to his strong opposition to sassywood.
Troh said late on Monday night, they brought a document to him to sign, authorizing them to administer the oath to Golon, but he refused. He was shocked to hear that a woman had died in the community after being given sassywood overnight, prompting him to call the police and the district commissioner.
Acting Paramount Chief Troh disclosed that Golon’s death brings the number of people who have died in Gblor Clan after taking an oath from the witchdoctor to six. He clarified that previous incidents were concealed and not reported to the police by the community, and he could not report them because he was not in authority at the time. (italics added by the webmaster FVDK.)
“In the first place, Gweh working here is not a bad thing, but I received an order from my CI [County Inspector] the other time. He told me that I should tell Gweh not to give an oath. She must cut sand, she must arrest witchcraft, she must treat people to get well, but she must not give an oath because the oath she gives can kill somebody, and Liberia law says nobody should kill someone. So Liberia law doesn’t agree with that oath,” Mr. Troh explained in Liberian colloquial.
He said upon learning about the woman’s death, he immediately informed the district commissioner of the incident and was instructed to inform Gweh and her followers to keep the body of the woman until authorities arrived to conduct tests before burial. However, to his surprise, the town hurriedly buried the woman before the district commissioner and the district coroner arrived.
Meanwhile, the ten men who signed the document authorizing Gweh to conduct the sassywood have been invited for questioning.
Trial by ordeal, known as ‘sassywood,’ is banned under national law but is still regarded as a legitimate form of justice by many Liberians. In this ritual, a suspect is subjected to intense pain and judged based on their reaction. Sometimes, a hot metal is used on the person’s leg, if it burns, they are found guilty. Sometimes poisonous liquid is used. If it kills the person, they are judged to be witch.
The UN has repeatedly warned that the practice undermines efforts to improve human rights in Liberia, as the country attempts to recover from 14 years of war.
Many legal specialists and human rights activists argue that the reliance on customs such as trial by ordeal—often harmful and even deadly—is due to the decrepit state of Liberia’s judicial system. They also contend that not enough is being done to restore the sector, which was left in tatters by the war.
In light of the countless reported cases of suspected and proven cases of ritualistic murders in Zimbabwe and of my previous post ‘Staggering number of ritual killings in Zimbabwe‘ of February 5 this year, the cry to take a stand against these ritual killings is not surprising and absolutely justified. I absolutely support this cry. The article was published by The Chronicle, a Zimbabwean online-newspaper, earlier the week.
I wholeheartedly recommend reading the article and fully support he author (authors?) plea.
The article merits widespread distribution and attention. For these reasons I reproduce it on the present site – below – though unfortunately the screenshots I took from the protected original article are not very reader-friendly. The interested reader is advised to use the link to the original article (under ‘Source’ below).
As explained elsewhere, my experience of many years of reading and archiving articles and reposts on ritualistic murders in Africa has taught me that many internet articles disappear in cyberspace after an indefinite periode of time. Hence I decided to copy and store them for the benefit of future researchers and interested readers. Of course, with apologies to the authors and publishers of the articles concerned. That’s why I always include in my posts a link to the original article giving credit to the source. (webmaster FVDK)
A cry from Zimbabwe: Time to take a stand against ritual killings
A shocking report on an innocent girl’s brutal death at the hands of unscrupulous, superstitious and criminal people. The crime took away the life of a young Tanzanian girl with albinism, and was committed in the Kagera region in north-west Tanzania.
Kagera region is bordered to the east by Lake Victoria. The region borders Uganda to the north, Rwanda and Burundi to the west, and the Tanzanian regions Kigoma to the south and Mwanza to the east. The region covers an area of 35,686 km2 and has a registered population of 3 million people according to the 2022 national census.
Unfortunately, Tanzania has a bad reputation as it comes to the treatment of people with albinism including discrimination, violent attacks and brutal murders having the highest number of reported attacks of all African countries. The girl’s murder is yet another example that this scourge has not disappeared or diminished in this East African country.
Meanwhile I commend the authorities for their swift action leading to the arrest of nine individuals suspected of involvement in the killing for ritual purposes of Asimwe Novath. May her soul rest in peace. (FVDK)
Tanzania: Child’s father, priest arrested in ritual killing of girl with albinism
Screenshot – for illustration purposes, see the original article
Published: June 20, 2024 By: The Citizen – NTV Kenya
Police Force has successfully apprehended nine individuals, including an Assistant Parish Priest and the biological father of Asimwe Novath, who are suspected of being involved in the murder of the child with albinism.
The child was abducted from her mother on May 30, 2024, in Bulamula village, Muleba District, Kagera region, and her body was found on June 17, 2024, in Makongora village, missing some of its parts.
A statement released by Police Spokesperson DCP David Misime explained that following the incident, the Police Force, in collaboration with concerned citizens who detest such inhumane acts, launched an intensive manhunt from May 31, 2024, until the night of June 19, 2024.
During this period, nine suspects were arrested with body parts believed to belong to Asimwe Novath, which were found stored in plastic bags as they sought a buyer.
The arrested suspects, who detailed their involvement in this incident, include the child’s biological father, Novart Venant, Desideli Evarist, a traditional healer residing in Nyakahama, and Elipidius Rwegoshora, the Assistant Parish Priest of Bugandika Parish.
Rwegoshora is alleged to have approached and convinced the child’s father to engage in the trade of human body parts.
He is also accused of finding the traditional healer and covering all the related costs.
Other suspects include Dastan Kaiza from Bushagara, Faswiru Athuman from Nyakahama, Gozibert Alkadi from Nyakahama Kamachumu, Rwenyagira Burkadi from Nyakahama Kamachumu, Ramadhani Selestine from Kamachumu, and Nurduni Hamada from Kamachumu.
The Police Force has issued a stern warning to individuals who indulge in superstitious beliefs, including fortune-telling, and persuade each other that they can attain wealth through such means, urging them to abandon these practices.
Below I present a cry for justice and an urgent appeal voiced by the Editorial Board of the Nigerian Tribune, a leading Nigerian newspaper, to stop the nefarious trade in human parts, related organ harvesting and inhumane criminal activities commonly referred to as ‘money rituals’ in Africa’s most populous country. The authors of the Editorial call for immediate government action to stop these heinous practices and to apprehend and punish the culprits.
Previous posts on the present site related to the widespread occurrence of ‘money rituals’ in Nigeria underscore the importance of this cry for justice and urgent appeal to the highest Nigerian authorities to take immediate action. (FVDK).
That human skulls merchant
Published: June 19, 2024 By: Editorial – The Nigerian Tribune
IT seems that the criminals who trade in human flesh are intent on continuing their ruinous trade even in the face of social disapproval, and will never mend. That is why they must always be subjected to the wrath of the law. Hardly does a month go by without some story about ritual killing or related activities in the country. Just last week, one Yusuf Adinoyi, a suspected ritualist, was arrested with eight human skulls by security agents at Isua Akoko, in the Akoko South-East LGA of Ondo State. Adenoyin, 37, was arrested at one of the checkpoints between the Isua and Epinmi in a Nissan car en route Akure to Osogbo. He was in a vehicle with four other passengers when the personnel attached to the Police Safer Highway Patrol intercepted them on the road.
The Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Oladipo, confirmed the suspect’s arrest in a statement. According to him: “Upon interrogation, Adinoyi, 37, confessed to being the owner of the skulls and explained that he was delivering them to a herbalist named Opeifa in the Oke-Onitea area of Osogbo. He equally mentioned other customers he usually supplies human skulls to include one Almonso, who lives at Oke-Onitea, Osogbo, Alfaa Agba who lives at Oke Onitea, and also Oshoyemi who resides around the Oja Oba area. The suspect further confessed that the human skulls were usually handed over to him by one Imaila living at Oboroke in Okene, and that each head is sold for between N30,000 and N35,000.” The police chief added that the suspect would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) unit in Akure with his case file for further investigations.
It is a shame that some people not only violate the dead, other people’s treasured bodies and memories, but also kill people to harvest their organs for sale, treating them like cattle. In most cases, these dead bodies are used in demonic money-making rituals, but the absurdity of the trade and practice is underlined by the fact that to date, no one has come out to tell the Nigerian public that he is a ritualist, as the traders in human flesh are called. The government must deploy every asset at its disposal, including public enlightenment campaigns, against this pernicious trade which casts the country and its people in extremely bad light. This nonsense must stop. As we have said it many times, no ritualist is on Forbes’ list of billionaires. The wealthiest people in this world have legitimate businesses; they saw a need, keyed into it, and provided services to meet that need, reaping bountiful rewards from their investment in social research. The idea that dead human flesh could somehow conjure certain spirits that will bring wealth to those subscribed to such dark practices is not only absurd but patently illogical. Are the spirits alleged to be behind such practices supposed to replace government mints, printing money from their mystical spaces and modelling them after the national currency, or do they steal other people’s money from the vault of banks, perhaps even the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), then bring such monies to those who have summoned them? Even if such a practice was real, which is vehemently denied, how does it square with the ancient, timeless wisdom that hard work—legitimate, socially sanctioned labour— is the route to wealth?
It is no coincidence that the apprehended ritualists easily show themselves to be extremely selfish, nihilistic and narcissistic. For instance, the suspect in the current story was reported to have claimed that he sold skulls in order to cater to his mother’s health. But this is a lame excuse if it even qualifies as one. Just how do you divest other people of their body parts in order to make your own mother keep hers in good shape? If every Nigerian whose mother took ill decided on his own course of action, how would the society look? Was engaging in crime the only route to addressing his mother’s health challenge? How about engaging in honest, decent labour? And now that he is in the clutches of the law, how will he ensure his mother’s wellbeing?
Yusuf’s arrest confirms, yet again, the prevalence of ritualistic engagements across the country as the platform for wealth enhancement as if killing people had ever resulted in real riches. The society has a lot of work to do to dissuade people from this unfortunate and ridiculous mindset that could only have resulted from the perversions attributable to poverty in the land. Wealth, we reiterate, ordinarily comes from productive engagements, hardwork and commitment and not the infantile engagement with occult manipulations. Given that this unfortunate engagement with rituals often comes with the sadistic killing of other human beings, there is a crucial need to strengthen the capacity of the government to apprehend those involved for necessary and appropriate punishment. In the present instance, that would include conducting thorough investigations to expose all those associated with Adinoyi in the nefarious business and ensuring that they are all adequately punished in accordance with the laws of the land.
“Perhaps it is time to debate whether there are situations that require the death penalty” – says Miriam Wangadya, chairperson Human Rights Commission Uganda.
The chairperson of the Human Rights Commission Uganda, Miriam Wangadya, is devastated and despairing. The gruesome ritualistic killing of innocent victims often young children is heartbreaking, she says. The mutilated bodies found are disgusting witnesses of a violent death.
She cites a number of well-known recent ritual murder cases including the ritual murder of a four-year old girl in Jinja district in 2021 and the ritualistic murder of two young girls, sisters, by their mother, also in Jinja district in 2023. Statistics release by Uganda National Police indicate that ritualistic sacrifices are on a steady increase from 22 cases in 2019, to 45 in 2020, to 46 in 2021 and 72 in 2022.
The chair of the Human Rights Commission Uganda makes a plea for harsher punishment.
Since Uganda observes a moratorium on the death penalty she suggests to have a national debate whether indeed there are situations which require the death penalty. The law must take its full force, she argues, and murderers who kill innocent and helpless children deserve the capital punishment. Punishment should match the crime. A stern message is to be sent out that murder in al its forms is totally unacceptable and is met with the strongest deterrent, she insists.
But will the capital punishment, ‘an eye for an eye’, really act as a deterrent for the greedy and ruthless criminals who are willing to sacrifice the life of a human being for more money, power, or prestige? (FVDK)
Murderers of innocent children deserve harsher punishment
Reports on ritual murders in Burkina Faso are scarce but this does not imply that this West African country is spared these gruesome crimes. In the past I’ve posted a few articles on the grim fate of persons with albinism in this country and on the belief in witchcraft and superstition in this landlocked country in the Sahel zone of the African continent.
On April 1 a gruesome crime took place in the capital Ouagadougou, in the neighborhood of Rayongo. A three-year old boy, David Ouédraogo, was unscrupulously murdered; it all looked like a ritual murder. The angry crowd attacked and killed two suspects, allegedly foreigners, a third suspect had more luck and was handed over to the police.
The mother of David, Sarata Ouédraogo, a woman in her thirties, is devastated and beyond consolation. She shares her ordeal with a reporter of Omega Medias – clicking the following link will give access to her sad story. (FVDK)
Screenshot – Sarata Ouédraogo, mother of David, tells her story – to listen to her click here (in French)
Meurtre d’un enfant de 3 ans à Rayongo : Sur la piste d’un crime rituel
Three-year old child murdered in Rayongo-Ouagadougou – mob justice leads to death of two of three suspected ritual murderers
Published: April 4, 2024 By: Charles Dah – Omega Medias, Burkina Faso
Les habitants de rayongo, quartier de la ville de Ouagadougou ont été frappés de stupeur ce lundi 1er avril 2024. La cause, un enfant de 3 ans a été violemment tué. Ses bourreaux seraient trois hommes de nationalité étrangère dont le comportement suspect a attiré l’attention des habitants du quartier. Courroucés, ces derniers finiront par lyncher à mort deux des trois suspects, le troisième quant à lui a été remis aux forces de l’ordre. L’émotion était toujours vive à notre passage, trois jours après le drame et la mère demeure inconsolable.
72 heures après la survenue de l’indicible fait macabre, nous voici sur les lieux du drame. Assis sous un dattier, un groupuscule d’hommes devise à deux pas du domicile familial des Ouedraogo. Touchée par la perte d’un des leurs, un enfant de 3 ans, la famille reçoit les condoléances des habitants du quartier et de ceux venus d’ailleurs. Sur place, l’émotion est vive.
Un peu plus loin, à l’intérieur de la cour, des femmes sont installées. Sur leurs visages se lisent stupeur et désarroi. Par moments, des sanglots montent du groupe, des pleurs dûs à la douleur de la perte brutale et violente du petit David, égorgé par ses bourreaux.
Après échange avec la famille, l’on nous conduit sur la scène du crime située à deux cents mètres du domicile des Ouédraogo.
Sur place, une odeur fétide flotte dans l’air. A l’intérieur de la maison où l’enfant a été tué, du sang, depuis coagulé, recueilli dans des calebasses et des Canaris. C’est un décor macabre qui a tout d’un crime rituel digne des films d’horreur les plus glaçants. Tout porte à croire que ce sang contenu dans les calebasses est celui de la victime, l’enfant de 3 ans.
Encore effondrée, Sarata Ouédraogo, mère du petit David, la trentaine révolue, yeux rouges, est assise au milieu d’un groupe de dames sur une natte. Visiblement affaiblie par la triste nouvelle, elle s’appuie contre un mur de la maison pour se tenir debout afin de nous expliquer son calvaire. C’est une mère abattue, que nous avons rencontrée ce mercredi 3 avril. Elle n’arrive toujours pas à croire comment des personnes qui vivaient dans la même cour qu’elle aient pu commettre un acte aussi ignoble, égorger son enfant. << Est-ce qu’ils peuvent me faire ça ? On est dans la même maison, c’est moi-même qui prépare et puis vous mangez. Tout ce qu’ils veulent, ils viennent me demander et je leur donne. Jusqu’à ce qu’ils m’appellent maman.>> nous relate la jeune mère entre deux sanglots.
Dame Ouédraogo a été séparée de son fils à jamais. De terribles adieux que la famille Ouédraogo et les habitants du quartier Rayongo digèrent difficilement.
Les faits remontent au lundi 1er avril. En partance au marché la mère de David le laisse à la maison sous la surveillance de la grande sœur de ce dernier. A son retour du marché, plus de David. Malgré de rapides recherches dans le voisinage, pas de nouvelles. Sarata Ouedraogo va questionner un de ses voisins de nationalité étrangère pour savoir s’il a aperçu l’enfant, l’homme lui répond que l’enfant était avec lui il y a à peine 3 minutes. Une réponse qui va semer un doute profond.
Comble de la malice, ledit voisin va même rejoindre un groupe d’habitants, pour poursuivre les recherches, avec probablement pour objectif de donner du temps à ses acolytes pour se débarrasser du corps de l’enfant. Mais, l’instinct maternel de dame Ouedraogo fini par prendre le dessus. Elle lance au voisin<< Mon enfant est ici (dans la maison du voisin, NDLR). Mon enfant n’est pas ailleurs. Mon enfant est ici. (…) Moi-même je sens que l’enfant est ici.(…) Ce que je sais seulement, c’est que mon enfant est toujours dans cette maison >>. Sarata Ouedraogo nous explique avoir insisté et persisté. Puis elle décide de faire le pied de grue devant la porte de ceux qu’elle soupçonne être à l’origine de la disparition du petit David.
Pendant ce temps, la mobilisation des habitants pour retrouver l’enfant prend de l’ampleur. Il faudra attendre vers 22h, pour enfin savoir ce qui s’est passé et cela grâce à la contribution d’un homme de tenue arrivé sur place.
<< Quand ils (les habitants du quartier, NDLR) sont partis maintenant, il (le voisin présumé coupable, NDLR) voulait fuir. Le gars (l’homme de tenue, Ndlr) est tourné derrière (à l’arrière de la maison, Ndlr). Il voit quelque chose qui est attaché déposé. Il a voulu soulever, c’est lourd. Djahh c’est mon enfant qui est dedans.>> Ajoute Sarata qui s’effondre en larmes avant de poursuivre <<C’est déjà gâté. Ils ont déjà tué l’enfant.>>.
Les présumés auteurs du crime rituel seront lynchés sur le champ par une foule en colère seul l’un des trois sera remis aux forces de l’ordre arrivées plus tard sur les lieux.
<< C’est une grande tristesse pour nous les membres de la famille. Même si tu es étranger à l’enfant, être témoin de ce drame et tu n’es attristé, tu auras menti.(…) Moi quand j’étais arrivé sur les lieux du drame, j’étais dépassé, car tu mets au monde un enfant et l’élève jusqu’à cet âge et quelqu’un l’egorge comme un poulet, vraiment c’est une perte, une énorme perte>> lâche Sambo Ouedraogo, oncle de la victime.
Le corps sans vie du petit David, ceux de deux des présumés auteurs du meurtre et leur complice rescapé ont été amenés par les forces de l’ordre après les constatations d’usage.
La mère du petit David, en état de choc reste inconsolable. A Rayongo, les habitants sont eux, toujours plongés dans la stupeur.
This post is about harmful widowhood practices and belief in witchcraft. It’s not about a ritual murder.
It all happened in Umunankwo, a village in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, in south-east Nigeria. The story goes back to April last year, when three brothers chased and banished their widowed sister, a 53-year old mother of two children, from the community accusing her of being a witch. The incident was filmed and went viral. Subsequently, the three men were arrested. For briefness sake I may refer to the second and third articles below.
The incident drew once more attention to existing harmful widowhood practices and the plight of women in Anambra State in general.
Moreover, also in Anambra State the belief in the power of supernatural forces exist, though it is unknown at which scale. Related superstitious practices may go hand-in-hand with ritualistic killings (‘money rituals’) and trafficking in human organs which unfortunately also occur in this state in South-East Nigeria. See my February 19, 2023 post ‘Anambra State Police Officers in alleged ritual killing, organ harvesting ring arrested‘.
Anambra State is located in the South East geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Federal Republic of Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones commonly called zones.
Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones
Anambra State is an inland state and one of Nigeria’s smallest states with a surface area of only 4,844 km2 (only Lagos State is smaller). Anambra ranks number 14 by population with an estimated population of 8 – 10 million people (2024), most of them christians though traditional beliefs continue to exist. The majority of the population belong to the Igbo ethnic group (in the 1960s, Anambra State was part of the failed secessionist Republic of Biafra). The region nowadays known as Anambra State has a a rich cultural history.
I already mentioned a prime reason to post this item, the existence of harmful widowhood practices, another major reason is the wish to draw attention to local initiatives and organizations to end these outdated and cruel practices which in fact represent human rights violations.
In this context I wish to mention the commendable work of the organization Advocacy for Alleged Witches, an interventionist group leading campaigns to end witch persecution in Africa. The organization’s Director is the well-known Leo Igbe, more than once mentioned on the present site. His work cannot be overrated and I wish to congratulate him once more with his work and achievements.
Last but not least I wish to congratulate Genevieve Osakwe, the Magistrate of the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court, in Awka, the state capital, and the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, for their swift actions.
Thanks to them the perpetrators of the crime are being prosecuted and the victim, Nneka Uzor, can now start a new life in a new apartment. (webmaster FVDK)
Anambra State, Nigeria: widow initially banished over alleged witchcraft gets new apartment
The widow, Nneka Uzor, a 54-year-old mother of two, was banished by her three brothers from Umunankwo Community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the south-east state on 30 April 2023.
Map of Anambra State
Published: February 25, 2024 By: Chinagorom Ugwu – Premium Times Nigeria
A widow in Anambra State, who recently returned to her community after she was banished for allegedly being a witch, has gotten a new apartment.
The woman, Nneka Uzor, a 54-year-old mother of two, was banished by her three brothers from Umunankwo Community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the south-east state on 30 April 2023.
PREMIUM TIMES, last year, reported (see below – webmaster FVDK) how the widow was spotted in a video clip being led out of the Umunankwo by the community members who hurled abuses at her while two masquerades flogged her.
The three brothers —- Lazarus Uzor, Anozie Uzor and Valentine Okwuosa —- were later arrested and arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court in Awka.
The arrest and arraignment of the suspects were facilitated by the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, who promised to ensure that the woman was reunited with the community.
This newspaper also reported that Mrs Uzor, the banished widow, returnedto the community in January and reconciled with the villagers, following the commissioner’s intervention and the traditional ruler of the community, Fidelis Nsofor.
New apartment
Mrs Uzor has now gotten a self-contained apartment through the assistance of Advocacy for Alleged Witches, an interventionist group leading campaigns to end witch persecution in Africa.
The Director of the group, Leo Igwe, told PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday that the group decided to help Mrs Uzor after they learnt that the widow had been staying with a relative after her return to the community.
“We found out that while she returned to the community, she had no money, no apartment; her business had collapsed. Nothing. She was almost displaced,” Mr Igwe said, recalling that the widow also made the request when the group reached out to her.
“So, we raised some money and we sent it to her to rent an apartment,” he said.
The group director commended PREMIUM TIMES, saying it was the paper’s report that made them aware of the widow’s travail.
Joy overflow
Mrs Uzor expressed joy while she shared a video clip of the new apartment with the group director.
“You people have met me in my point of need,” she said in the three-minute video clip, almost shedding tears of joy.
“This is wonderful,” the widow exclaimed as she showed the inner part of the apartment.
“So, at last, I can boast of saying this is my own.”
She asked God to bless members of the group who secured the apartment for her.
Widow banished over alleged witchcraft returns to community
The woman, a 54-year-old mother of two, was banished by her three brothers from Umunankwo Community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Published: January 23, 2024 By: Chinagorom Ugwu – Premium Times Nigeria
A widow in Anambra State, who was banished for allegedly being a witch, has been reunited with her community.
The woman, Nneka Uzor, a 54-year-old mother of two, was banished by her three brothers from Umunankwo Community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the south-east state on 30 April 2023.
PREMIUM TIMES, last year, reported how the widow was spotted in a video clip being led out of the Umunankwo by the community members who hurled abuses at her while two masquerades flogged her.
In the clip, the people, who were heard accusing Mrs Uzor of poisoning the community’s food and refusing to go for appeasement, led the woman to a road junction where they pronounced her banished from the community.
At the time they pronounced her banished, the widow had collapsed in the middle of a road, apparently due to fatigue.
The three brothers – Lazarus Uzor, Anozie Uzor and Valentine Okwuosa – were later arrested and arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court in Awka.
The arrest and arraignment of the suspects were facilitated by the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, who promised to ensure that the woman was reunited with the community.
Reunion
Mrs Uzor, the banished widow, has been reconciled to the villagers and brought back to the community, according to a statement on Monday by Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the commissioner.
Ms Ikeanyionwu said the reconciliation took place at the palace of the traditional ruler of Umunankwo, Fidelis Nsofor.
She said the commissioner, heads of men and women groups in the community, community leaders and the suspects, among others, attended the event.
The statement indicated that following the traditional ruler’s directive, community members gathered at the junction, where they had earlier banished the widow, to bring her back.
Masquerades also accompanied her back to the community.
Brothers label their widowed sister witch, banish her from community
The victim is a mother of two .
Published: May 22, 2023 By; Chinagorom Ugwu – Premium Times Nigeria
Three people have banished their widowed sister from their community for allegedly being a witch.
The incident happened on 30 April in Umunankwo, a community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, south-east Nigeria.
Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
The widow, Nneka Uzor is a 53-year-old mother of two. She is also a caterer.
Ms Ikeanyionwu gave the names of the suspects as Lazarus Uzor, Anozie Uzor and Valentine Okwuosa.
She said the suspects’ arrest was facilitated by the commissioner, Mrs Obinabo, after a video clip showing the widow being abused and banished from the community went viral on social media.
Viral video
In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES earlier this month, the widow was spotted being led out of the community by members of the community and two masquerades.
As she walked, the community members hurled abuses on her, while the two masquerades flogged her.
“On this day, Nneka (Uzor) committed an atrocity. She poisoned the food of the community, and she refused to go for appeasement. On that purpose, masquerades have arisen to say a final goodbye to Nneka to the boundary of no return,” a voice was in the background of the video was heard saying.
“Nneka, you shall not come back again (to the community). You have been ostracised. Today, marks her last day (in the community). The masquerade has ostracised her,” the voice added.
Apparently exhausted and weak, the widow collapsed in the middle of a road and the people abandoned her there.
Arraignment
Ms Ikeanyionwu said the suspects were later arrested and arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court, in Awka.
The statement was silent on the details of the charges against the suspects.
When the charges were read and interpreted to the defendants, they pleaded not guilty of the charges, she said.
Ruling on bail application by the suspects, the Magistrate, Genevieve Osakwe, held that the matter was a bailable offence.
Ms Osakwe, consequently, granted them bail in the sum of N700, 000, but demanded that the suspects should provide the traditional ruler of the Umunankwo Community, the parish priest of the community’s Catholic Church or the president-general of the community as sureties.
In her reaction, the commissioner, Mrs Obinabo, expressed satisfaction with the decision of the court, Ms Ikeanyionwu said.
The commissioner assured that she would get justice for the widow and other widows in the state who are going through such ill-treatment.
She warned residents of the state to desist from any form of harmful traditional practices against widows, pointing out that Anambra State Government has zero tolerance for such “inhumane acts.”
Banished widow speaks
Mrs Uzor told the commissioner that she began living in her parents’ house in the community nine years ago after she lost her husband.
The widow regretted that her brothers and other family members had been abusing her since she began living with them in their parents’ house.
On the issue of being banished from the community, she narrated that someone had died in the community and that on the day of the person’s burial, she was invited like others, which made her pass a night there.
She said she was surprised that her brothers and other family members woke her up the next morning at about 5:30 a.m. with the masquerades and subsequently chased her out of the community.
Nkiru Uzor, a sister to the widow, alleged that it was one of the suspects, Lazarus, the immediate past president-general of the community, that instigated the banishment while Nnamdi, another suspect, coordinated the act and also filmed the incident.
A weird story from Oyo state, in Nigeria’s South West. The Oyo State Police arrested two men who were in the possession of a freshly cut human head. One of the suspected ritualists admitted that the human skull was to be used for ritual purposes (‘money rituals’).
Oyo State is located in the South West geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Federal Republic of Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones commonly called zones.
Ibadan is Oyo State’s capital and its most populous city, and Nigeria’s third (after Lagos and Kano). It’s population is estimated at close to 4 million people whereas in its metropolitan area an estimated 6 million people live, mainly Yoruba but also Igbo, Hausa, Edo and Ibibio from other parts of Nigeria.
The practice of parading suspects of a serious crime is common in Nigeria, but considered unconstitutional by a number of legal experts. I have added a 2016 article elaborating on this view, following the first article below. (FVDK)
Police parade suspected ritualists in Oyo State
Suspected cultists (not related to the article)
Published: February 14 or 15, 2024 By: TVC News
The Oyo state police command has arrested two suspects who specialize in using Human Head and other vital Organs for Ritual Purpose.
The suspects were arrested in Saki town, and a human skull was recovered from them.
While addressing newsmen during the parade, the police spokesperson in Oyo state Adewale Osifeso revealed that the human Head was cut off from a freshly exhumed Corpse and a local pot containing some concoctions were recovered from the possession of the suspected Ritualists.
One of the suspects confessed that the harvested Human Skull was from a corpse at burial ground and was to be used for Money Rituals.
Some Lagos-based lawyers have condemned parading of arrested suspects by the police, saying it is unconstitutional and damaging to the person involved.
They said that often those paraded were innocent and in the event of their being pronounced innocent by the courts of competent jurisdiction, the police never re-parade them.
Mr Olawale Apanisile, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that parading suspects undergoing investigation was illegal and could not be justified.
Apanisile said that parading suspects before the public and media as criminals was damaging to the reputation and personality of the individual.
He said that it was a violation of Section 34 (1) and 36 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
According to Apanisile, Section 34 states that every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person and (1) (a) no person shall be subject to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment.
“In a bid to show to the public that the police are working and are up to the task of safeguarding the country, they display suspects like medals and trophies to the media,’’ he said.
The lawyer said that during arrest, investigation and arraignment, the accused should be treated with respect as they were presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“The police and other law enforcement agents should treat an accused the same way they will treat any other law abiding citizens.
“Most Nigerians do not know their fundamental human rights, but if the police had been slammed with law suits by paraded suspects, then such impunity will not be the order of day.
“Some who know their rights are too scared to press charges,’’ he said.
He urged human rights activists to educate and come to the aid of the populace to put an end to the practice of media trial by the police.
“This practice must stop no matter how grievous the crime an accused committed.
“We should leave it to the courts to administer justice so that after the accused has been acquitted or convicted he can go back to living his life in peace,’’ he said.
Apanisile, however, said that the only time the law allowed for an accused to be paraded was during identification parade.
According to him, in identification parade, an accused will be placed with people who have similar physical appearance with him and paraded before witnesses to know if they will recognise the suspect.
“The parading of suspects before newsmen is not obtainable in Britain but in America, they do perpetrators walk commonly known as `perp walk’.
“In Britain, accused are brought to court in vehicle with tinted glasses which makes it impossible for the public to see them,’’ he said.
According to Wikipedia, perp walk is a common custom of American law enforcement, the practice of taking an arrested suspect through a public place at some point after arrest, creating an opportunity for the media to take photographs and video of the event.
Mr Chris Okani, urged the Nigerian police to stop the parade of suspected armed robbers and other alleged criminals before the public prior to arraignment. Okani said that parading suspects by the police prior to charging them to court for trial and being found guilty was an aberration.
He also noted that a suspect was presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a court of law after full trial.
He said the police was only permitted to parade suspects if there was need for identification of the suspect by a witness who claims to have seen the suspect commit the alleged offence.
Mr Alozie Nwoke said: “The police are usually under pressure to clean up their image before the public and the Federal Government has given rise to this kind of practice.
“Owing to the pressure, suspects are often paraded so as to show that the police are working.
“The police then get some kind of approval that they are doing well but most times they parade innocent persons.
“Our law provides that every suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction’’.
The legal practitioners decried the act, saying that should the suspects be acquitted, the police would not re-parade them as being innocent.
Below follows a fuzzy report on an alleged ‘money ritual’ as deadly ritualistic ceremonies or activities are called in Nigeria. Circumstances of the sudden and unexplained death of Mustapha Balogun are not clear hence some prudence is warranted. Moreover, nobody is guilty unless he/she is found guilty after a fair, public trial by an independent judge. That’s the rule of law.
Kwara State is located in the South West geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Federal Republic of Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones commonly called zones.
Map of Kwara State, Nigeria. For the official website of the Kwara State government: click here
Court Remands Nigerian Films Promoter In Prison For Allegedly Killing His Friend For Ritual In Kwara State
Published: February 14, 2024 By: Sahara Reporters
A source privy to the court proceedings told SaharaReporters that Afolayan who is the Chief Executive Officer of Ace Media was accused of using his friend, Mustapha Balogun for money ritual which resulted in the sudden death of the latter.
A Kwara State Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin on Tuesday remanded a popular films promoter, Oloba Maroof Afolayan in prison for allegedly killing his friend for ritual.
A source privy to the court proceedings told SaharaReporters that Afolayan who is the Chief Executive Officer of Ace Media was accused of using his friend, Mustapha Balogun for money ritual which resulted in the sudden death of the latter.
A First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Nigerian Police to arraign the suspects obtained by SaharaReporters said the deceased died on the 1st of February at his workplace a day after they both went for a ceremony in the promoter’s hometown.
The FIR read: “On 01/02/2024 at about 1530hrs an information was received at State Criminal Investigation Department through one Mustapha Halimat ‘f’ of behind Ilorin West Local Government, Ilorin, that on the same date about 1000hrs she received a phone call from unknown person whom she later identified as Wasiu ‘m’ a friend to her husband, that his brother one Oladele Rashidi ‘m’ called the said Wasiu and told him that her husband Mustapha Balogun ‘m’ fell at his working place at a mining site and he was rushed to hospital for medical attention, wasiu said she should joined him to proceed to the Hospital where her husband is being treated.
“But on getting to hospital she was informed that her husband Mustapha Balogun was dead before been brought to hospital. Immediate Police action led to the arrest of one Oloba Maroof Afolayan ‘m’ of Fola Daniel close Agba dam off pipeline Ilorin who claim to be the Oloba of Samora who was alleged to be behind the killing of Mustapha Balogun. Discreet investigation conducted at SCID, Ilorin revealed that Mustapha Balogun was a friend to Oloba Maroof Afolayan. During investigation you Oloba Maroof Afolayan confessed that you left Ilorin for your home town Samora with the deceased Mustapha Balogun on 31/1/2024 for your family ritual rite.
“You further confessed that on 01/02/2024 early in the morning you meet the deceased vomiting but instead of rushing the deceased to nearby hospital nor report at any police station you and some of your friends brought the deceased to Owolabi hospital Ilorin where the doctor on duty confirmed the said Mustapha Balogun dead on arrive. Investigation into the case is however ongoing. You are hereby charged for the above offences.”
According to the source, the films promoter, Afolayan, was alleged to be using his “connection” to suppress the matter.
“He is trying to do a cover-up,” the source added.
Apparently this is exactly what happened in the Assin South District of the Central Region when a mob attacked three men who were suspected of involvement in the beheading of young children. It was later discovered that they were innocent but then the beating was over and the fishermen had to be hospitalized where they are being treated – reportedly they are badly wounded.
Mob justice or jungle justice is always wrong. Let the police and the authorities do their work. The rule of law must always prevail. (webmaster FVDK)
Three fishermen mistaken as suspects in ritual killing case; assaulted by mob
