By Chukwudi Osuji
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW), a non-governmental organisation committed to ending witchcraft accusations and related human rights abuses, has called for the protection and restoration of the rights of victims of alleged witchcraft accusations and ostracization in Imo State and beyond.
The organisation made the call over the weekend during an advocacy visit to Umulogho Autonomous Community in Obowo Local Government Area of the state, where it appealed to the community leadership to reconsider the two-year ostracization imposed on 92-year-old Okenze Mark Isikaku and restore his full rights as a member of the community.
Speaking at the palace of the traditional ruler, Eze Patrick Uwalaka, Executive Director of AfAW, Dr. Leo Igwe, said the visit formed part of activities marking the 2026 World Day Against Witch Hunts, aimed at raising awareness about human rights violations arising from erroneous beliefs in witchcraft and ritualistic practices.
Igwe said the advocacy also aligned with a 2021 United Nations resolution urging states to combat human rights violations perpetrated in the name of witchcraft or ritualistic beliefs.
According to him, August provides an opportunity to highlight such abuses, raise public awareness and promote measures for their prevention and eradication, as well as to provide support for victims.
He said the 2026 theme of AfAW’s campaign, “Chiefs and Ending Witch Hunts in Communities,” underscores the crucial role traditional rulers play in confronting false beliefs in witchcraft and preventing the persecution of innocent people.
“Chiefs preside over witch trials and banishment of alleged witches. Chiefs sanction and condone jungle justice and vigilantism for accused persons. They uphold witch hunts as a form of community service, as part of tradition and culture, rather than a heinous crime or a relic of humanity’s primitive and superstitious past,” Igwe said.
He appealed to Eze Uwalaka and members of his cabinet to use their positions to reconsider Isikaku’s ostracization and ensure the restoration of his fundamental human rights.
Igwe also urged traditional rulers and other community leaders across Nigeria and Africa to become agents of positive change by challenging harmful superstitions and facilitating the eradication of witch persecution from their communities.
Responding, Eze Uwalaka, who was accompanied by the Palace Secretary, Ichie Nichols Iroadumba, and other palace officials, commended AfAW for its advocacy visit.
He described the campaign against beliefs in witchcraft and ritualism as commendable, noting the devastating effects such beliefs could have on individuals, families and communities.
The traditional ruler assured the AfAW delegation that the matter would be addressed, while urging members of the community to remain peaceful and law-abiding and desist from actions capable of violating the rights of others.
Meanwhile, during an interaction with the AfAW team, Isikaku broke down in tears as he recounted what he described as a period of “physical, mental and psychological abuses” arising from allegations that he spiritually caused the death of late Barrister Joseph Ohakpo.
The elderly man said he had enjoyed a cordial relationship with the deceased, whom he maintained died from chronic heart disease that had resulted in swollen legs and eventually required surgery.
According to him, rather than attributing Ohakpo’s death to his known medical condition, members of Umuadara Village in Umulogho accused him of spiritually killing the deceased because of a land dispute.
He said the allegation resulted in his ostracization and subjected him to what he described as severe violations of his human rights.
Isikaku thanked AfAW for the solidarity and advocacy visit, appealing to relevant authorities to intervene in his case and other similar situations across communities where innocent people are allegedly subjected to inhuman treatment because of beliefs that people can cause death through spiritual means.
AfAW also provided support and encouragement to another alleged victim, Ichie Livinus Okonkwo, who said he was accused of causing the death of his nephew in Vietnam merely by speaking to the wind.
Narrating his ordeal, Okonkwo said the deceased was allegedly stabbed to death in Vietnam by his former girlfriend following a confrontation over a failed marital promise.
He explained that the circumstances surrounding the death were subsequently communicated to him by the Nigerian Embassy in Vietnam because he was the deceased’s guardian.
According to him, the alleged perpetrator in Vietnam was prosecuted and compensation was eventually paid to the deceased’s family.
Okonkwo said despite these facts, he became a victim of what he described as a false accusation, humiliation and human rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by youths in his village after they were incited against him.
He questioned how he could be held responsible for a death that occurred thousands of kilometres away and whose circumstances, he said, had already been established by the relevant authorities.
Okonkwo called for an end to erroneous beliefs and accusations capable of destroying lives, families and community relationships.
The advocacy visit ended on a positive note, with the leadership of Umulogho Community pledging to look into the issues raised by AfAW and work towards addressing the situation.
The two victims, in turn, expressed appreciation and relief over the solidarity and intervention of the organisation, stressing the need for greater public awareness and institutional action to protect people from persecution based on unsubstantiated witchcraft accusations.
