A 92-year-old indigene of Umuadara Village in Umulogho, Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State, has appealed for the intervention of relevant authorities after he was allegedly ostracised by his community over an accusation that he caused the death of a relative through witchcraft.
The elderly man, Isikaku, made the appeal when the Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW), led by its Executive Director, Dr. Leo Igwe, visited him at his residence over the weekend.
Speaking with the advocacy team, Isikaku reportedly broke down in tears as he recounted what he described as years of physical, mental and psychological abuse following allegations that he was responsible for the death of his relative, Barrister Joseph Ohakpo.
Isikaku said he had maintained a cordial relationship with the deceased and attributed Ohakpo’s death to what he described as a chronic heart condition, which had reportedly caused swelling in his legs and eventually required surgery.
He alleged that following the death, some members of the community accused him of spiritually causing the lawyer’s death because of an existing land dispute.
The 92-year-old said the allegation resulted in his ostracisation and subjected him to what he described as violations of his fundamental rights.
The AfAW team also visited another alleged victim in the community, Ichie Livinus Okonkwo, who said he was accused of causing the death of his nephew in Vietnam through alleged supernatural means.
According to Okonkwo, his nephew was allegedly stabbed to death in Vietnam by a former girlfriend following a dispute over a failed marital promise.
He said the Nigerian Embassy in Vietnam subsequently communicated details of the incident to him because he was the deceased’s guardian.
Okonkwo further stated that the alleged perpetrator was prosecuted and compensation was eventually paid to the deceased’s family.
Despite this, he said he became the target of accusations and humiliation in his community, alleging that youths were incited against him.
Questioning the basis of the accusation, Okonkwo said it was difficult to understand how he could be held responsible for a death that occurred thousands of kilometres away, particularly after the circumstances surrounding the incident had reportedly been established by authorities.
Both men appealed for an end to accusations based on unsubstantiated beliefs, warning that such allegations could lead to persecution, destroy families and undermine peaceful community relations.
They also called for increased public awareness and stronger institutional action to protect individuals from violence, discrimination and other forms of abuse arising from witchcraft accusations.
Responding, the Advocacy for Alleged Witches pledged to engage the leadership of the community and appeal for the two men to be fully reintegrated.
The organisation also said it would advocate for the restoration of their fundamental rights and seek an end to the alleged persecution.
The development has renewed calls for greater protection of vulnerable persons and for community disputes and deaths to be addressed through evidence-based investigations rather than accusations that could expose individuals to human rights abuses.
