The National Human Rights Commission has partnered with a Non-Governmental Organization advocating for witchcraft, to end witch hunts as it violates human rights.
At the NHRC office in Akure, on Friday, the group including stakeholders, held a roundtable meeting discussing the event to end witchcraft accusations.
The AfAW Coordinator Leo Igwe, who spoke at the event said;
“I am not satisfied with the way victims of witchcraft accusations are treated. You hear in the news that someone has been lynched somewhere, and after that, you don’t hear anything about it again. The perpetrators are not punished or prosecuted. The same applies to ritual attacks.
“Occasionally, you see cases in the news of people whose body parts have been removed or elderly people being lynched. When asked what their offences are, people simply say they are witches. I began to research and found that most times, these victims are mistreated based on allegations, fear, or suspicion—not on concrete evidence.
“If juju could really kill people, do you think many of us would still be alive today? Everyone has someone who dislikes them or wishes them harm. Yet, innocent lives are wasted based on baseless fears and suspicions.
“We need to educate and re-educate our religious leaders because they are the ones inciting many of these actions. We must engage churches and mosques, and we also need our schools involved, as they sometimes reinforce these beliefs in people’s minds.
“People are aware of human rights violations, but when it comes to issues related to witches and ritual killings, they don’t take them as seriously. They do not see them in the same light as other human rights abuses, as they somehow believe they are justified.
On the other hand, Sunday Olajide, the Coordinator of the NHRC in Ondo state said the commission receives reports of human rights violation, a lot, in the state.
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