Director of Advocacy for Alleged Witches, Dr Leo Igwe has said that the organization has intervened in 150 cases of people accused of witchcraft across the country.
Igwe stated this during an advocacy lecture on superstition around witchcraft held in conjunction with Benue State University in Makurdi on Tuesday and decried the inhuman treatment always unleashed on people accused of witchcraft in the society, some of the cases, he said have led to the death of the accused.
He added that few of the cases were being prosecuted in court.
According to him, “We have intervened in 150 cases of people accused of witchcraft across the country, seven of the cases are from Benue State.
“We have three cases of people accused of witchcraft in Adamawa, that we are prosecuting in court, one in Anambra, one in Enugu and two in Benue but one of the cases was withdrawn for settlement.”
He described witchcraft as a religion that believes in superstition adding that the advocacy was to help educate, enlighten, and raise awareness on the issue of witch hunts.
“We hope to challenge believers, persuade and prick their conscience. we hope to get them to rethink their witch beliefs, assumptions and suppositions. We hope to use this event to empower victims and their families and get them to speak out and get psychosocial and material help and support.
“If anyone has been a victim or you know someone who has been a victim please come forward. The Advocacy for Alleged Witches exists to support and empower you,” Igwe said.
In his contribution, Dean, faculty of Social Science, Benue State University, Professor Benjamin Ahule accused religious leaders of promoting superstition to manipulate their members.
In her lecture, a surgeon consultant at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Dr Onyewuchi Amina decried the alarming rate at which Nigerians adduced illness to witchcraft.
While citing several instances of people adducing causes of their illnesses to witchcraft, Amina who is also the state chairperson of the Nigeria Medical Association said that some accusations levelled at the devil are not true.
She advised everyone to always seek medical care anytime they fall sick.
She said, “Most illnesses you glorified witchcraft with are not, go to the hospital anytime you have ill health issues, even mad people are treated in the hospital. Don’t neglect the role of the hospital when you are sick.”
While commending the group for the knowledge being impacted on the students, Amai appealed to the group to extend the advocacy g to rural communities.
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