Elderly Woman in Enugu Reportedly Flogged After Witchcraft Accusation

An elderly woman in Amanfu, Ugbawka, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, was reportedly subjected to cruel and humiliating treatment after being accused of witchcraft. A widely circulated video showed the woman being led around with palm fronds fastened to her head. She was allegedly forced to consume faeces, which was also said to have been rubbed on her. The Advocacy for Alleged Witches, or AfAW, responded by asking the Enugu State Government to detain and bring charges against those responsible for the degrading treatment. In a weekend statement to journalists in Owerri, AfAW Director Dr. Leo Igwe said the group received the video on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. It then notified police, the Enugu State offices of the National Human Rights Commission, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), journalists and civil society organizations, and sent a regional advocate to confirm what happened. According to the advocate, who traveled to the community on Thursday, October 8, 2026, the woman was accused of pouring faeces on the grave of her stepson’s deceased wife. The account said villagers seized the woman. When questioned, she allegedly admitted to the act and said the deceased had been appearing in her dreams and tormenting her; she claimed that putting faeces on the grave was meant to end the torment. She denied killing the deceased, however. Pastor Michael Chukwunonso Ezeude, parish priest of Emmanuel Anglican Church, Amanfu, where the woman reportedly sought refuge, told AfAW that roughly 30 women from the community came to the church and insisted she be handed over to face “the laws of the community.” The cleric’s attempts to intervene were said to have been blocked. The elderly woman later described her experience to the AfAW advocate, displaying injuries she said came from being flogged by the mob. She asked for justice. Dr. Igwe denounced the treatment as barbaric, criminal and a clear instance of gender-based violence driven by superstition. “Advocacy for Alleged Witches condemns the abuse and maltreatment of this woman. Enugu State authorities should take custody of this woman, take her to a hospital for medical examination, and provide her counseling and rehabilitation. The authorities should arrest and prosecute those who mobbed and dehumanized her,” Igwe said. He also said dreams are not real, prophetic or proof of witchcraft, but rather products of the subconscious mind during sleep. He called on Nigerians to reject abuses based on superstition and to embrace science, reason and critical thinking. AfAW said it is collaborating with the National Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Gender and the police to ensure justice is done and to prevent similar degrading acts from happening again in the state.