Accusations of Sorcery: Ebonyi Villages Where Residents Face Inhumane Treatment, Forced Exile

Human rights groups and civil society organizations have expressed concern over the rising cases of dehumanization and human abuse in Ebonyi State, particularly in Izzi land, where people suspected of being witches are subjected to various forms of mistreatment. This includes spiritual binding, tying, casting, or throwing away deformed persons, malnourished persons, and people living with protracted illnesses, who are tagged as witches and wizards.

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In many cases, these individuals are taken to churches for deliverance and casting out of assumed demons, while in other communities, they are accused of being behind the misfortunes of some individuals or the community at large, leading to their ostracism or banishment.

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A recent incident involved the abuse of a child who was said to be frequently sick, and her parents brought her to a local prophet, James Nwankpu, who labelled her a witch and subjected her to humiliating and abusive treatment in the name of purging the evil in her.

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This incident, which occurred at Isohumini Agbaja, Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, gained widespread attention on social media, prompting the Ebonyi State Police Command to intervene and arrest the self-acclaimed prophet over alleged child abuse.

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The Police Command disclosed that the suspect was seen in a viral video carrying and handling a child in an abusive and inhumane manner while the child lay on bare ground, leading to his arrest and the rescue of the child.

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The Commissioner of Police, Hope Urunwa Okafor, directed operatives to ensure the arrest of the suspects and the rescue of the child, and the Police further disclosed that the rescued child had been taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, for immediate medical attention.

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The Police reiterated their commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of citizens, particularly children, and warned against all forms of child abuse and inhumane treatment, assuring residents that they would continue to clamp down on individuals involved in acts capable of endangering the welfare and safety of children in the state.

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The Chairman of Ebonyi State Human Rights Defender, Chief Sampson Oko Nweke, 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.

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Nweke stated that the pastor and the child's parents are now in Police custody, while the innocent child has been rescued and taken to safety, and the Police have commenced a full-scale investigation into the incident.

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

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The group referenced another case of a man accused of being a wizard and ostracized in the Izzi Local Government Area, and urged security agencies and the government to go after prophets, pastors, and diviners who use magical powers to cause confusion in families and communities.

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Founder of Advocacy for Alleged Witches, Dr. Leo Igwe, narrated how one Chief Ekpono from Izzi community was accused of witchcraft and later ostracized with his family, and lamented a case where a self-styled prophet, Ubadinma, and other Christian witch hunters went to a village and staged a witch-cleansing crusade.

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Igwe expressed concern that those arrested in respect to the Chief Ekpono case have not been prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others, and said witchcraft exorcists have caused so much crisis, pain, and death to innocent citizens in the communities.

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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.

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Igwe urged the Ebonyi State Government to take proactive measures against witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks, and said the government needs to take concrete steps to combat abuses and violations linked to witchcraft beliefs and ritual attacks.

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He stated that state and non-state actors must take legal and administrative measures, educational and political steps to address this menace, and said witch hunting has become a sore on the social and moral conscience of the nation.

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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, and said in some cases, they incited violence, instigated attacks, caused injuries and displacement of accused persons.

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He referenced a particular incident where the Police arrested 17 suspects for murdering one Uromchi Okorocha in Afikpo last year, and said as is usually the case, the Police would detain them for some time, extort money from their relatives, and then release them.

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The traditional ruler of Nkaliki Unuhu Achara, Eze Sunday Oketa, condemned the action of youths and villagers who took the law into their hands, and attributed the banishment of some persons for alleged witchcraft to political gimmicks, envy, and hatred in Izzi land.

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Oketa said 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, and said the government should properly investigate witchcraft allegations and sanction the offenders.

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He advised that in olden days, villagers would gather at the village square to declare a curse on suspected witches, and after some weeks or months, they would start dying one by one, and said 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.