JUST IN: How community forced me to drink corpse’s bath water, banished me for alleged witchcraft – Widow

A 65-year-old widow, Mrs. Nnennaya Donatus-Chukwu of Mebiokpa Amaeke Okposi community in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has called on governments, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to fight in getting justice following inhumane treatments unleashed on her and two others by their village youths over alleged killing of her husband’s nephew through witchcraft.

Mrs. Donatus-Chukwu and two others were beaten blue black, forced to take oath of innocence by drinking water used in bathing the corpse of the deceased man, her family house looted by the youths, set on fire as well as that of her first son. According to her, the youths also excommunicated and banished her out of the community till their next new yam festival if they are vindicated by their gods by surviving the oath.

The late Innocent Chukwu had died during a road accident on his way home to continue his building project. Mrs. Donatus-Chukwu and two other elders in the family compound were accused of killing him because of their earlier objection to his choice of building site that is too close to their family deity.

The sexagenarian explained that they actually advised the late man to arrange for relocation of the family deity before erecting his house there but he bluntly opposed it and wondered why she is being accused of killing someone who died far away in the city while she was at the village processing palm fruits on the said day.

Narrating her ordeal, Nnenna Donatus -Chukwu disclosed that, “I was behind my house in the village where I was processing some palm fruits into palm oil on February 21, 2025 when a multitude of youths invaded our compound, chatting war songs and started destroying everything on sight. Our houses, windows and doors, household properties, fully stocked yam barn, goats’ pens, stored 50 gallons of palm oil, my box of wrappers, those of my children, our motorcycles, solar panels and inverters, and mattresses were all vandalised. On sighting them and the destruction being perpetuated, I hid myself but they later found me and beat me to stupor with accusation of causing the death of Innocent Chukwu in collaboration with two others through witchcraft.

“The protesting youths looted and destroyed everything in both our family compound and that of my first son, stressing that since Innocent will not be alive to live in his house that we will not have a house to live in. I thank God my children were not at home because they would have been killed. Before now, I had no quarrel with Innocent, the mother or anybody. The more I tried to explain that I am innocent of the accusations, the more they beat me.”

She continued, “After some time, I was taken to our traditional ruler who blamed the youths for beating me and destroying my family belongings. He advised them to hand us over to the police at Obiozara for in-depth investigations and prosecution in the court of law but they refused. Rather, they took me and the other two persons back to our compound where they washed the dead man’s armpits, reproductive organs, mouth and face; added four kola nuts and forced us to drink the water to prove our innocence. After the oath, they banished us out of the community till after our next new yam festival, if we are still alive.”

“I plead with the state government, wife of Ebonyi State governor, Mrs. Mary Maudlin Nwifuru, NGOs, National Human Rights Commission, Human Rights activists, security agencies, Association of Women Lawyers, Association of Women Journalists and all people of good will to help me get justice. They accused me of killing someone who died in a road accident in the city the same day and time I was preparing palm oil in my rural village. Since then, I have been on admission at the hospital,” the victim lamented.

On his part, first son of the victim, Ogbonnaya Donatus regretted that the youths also went to his personal compound and destroyed properties worth about N50 million for alleged witchcraft perpetuated by his mother. I call on both the state and Federal Government to intervene in this issue because my property that was destroyed is not less than N50 million despite that I am not one of those directly accused of the alleged witchcraft.”

While responding, the founder of Critical Thinking and Social Empowerment Foundation, Leo Igwe, condemned the wanton destruction of properties and inhumane treatments meted on the people over alleged killing via witchcraft activities and called on the security agencies for in-depth investigations and prosecution of the culprits.