Latest News

Nigeria: Man held for killing woman accused of witchcraft

A man, Mohammed Seto Umar, 34 of Bode Fulani via Ilesha Baruba, Kwara State, who allegedly conspired with five others including two women, Zainab and Geto now at large matcheted a woman whom they accused to be witch to death has been remanded at the Federal Prison, Oke-Kura, Ilorin.

The accused was arraigned on a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, defamation of character, causing grievous hurt and culpable homicide, contrary to Sections 97, 292, 247 and 221 of Penal Code Law.

Read more here

Nigeria: Resurgence of ritual killing

In the south-western part of Nigeria, the major topic which dominates discussions lately is the series of escapades of suspected ritualists. This followed the recent discovery of some dungeons in Ibadan and Abeokuta, two important state capital cities where human beings were abducted and allegedly killed for ritual purposes…

Saturday Newswatch investigation revealed that ritual killing is not a recent phenomenon, and indeed knows no geographical boundaries.

Read more here

Ghana: ActionAid condemns Ghana’s desire for foreign products

ActionAid Ghana (AAG), a non-governmental organization, has condemned Ghanaians for their incessant desire and taste for everything foreign, noting that such attitude kills local initiatives and makes the country poorer…

Madam Adams Lamnatu, Coordinator of Songtaba, a partner NGO working with AAG, said its work in the Nanumba area had contributed greatly to the reduction of forced marriages, teenage pregnancies, violence against women and poverty reduction due to its pro-poor policies.

She indicated that many awareness had been heightened on the alleged witches, and has resulted in the reintegration of more than 100 of them within two years, and expressed the hope that the numbers would drastically reduce at the witches’ camps.

Read more here

Fiji: Witchcraft claims case

Four men who allegedly killed a man because of claims that he practised witchcraft appeared at the High Court in Lautoka on Friday.

Rakesh Kumar, Vinod Segran, Mataiyasi Ului and Maikeli Loko appeared before Justice Sudharshan De Silva charged with the murder of Nadi carpenter Arun Vasudewan.

Read more here

Zimbabwe: Stranger than Fiction – ‘Witches ate my Baby’

The second wife of a Murehwa businessman has claimed that she gave birth after a full pregnancy but the baby vanished.

Winnett Guvheya (46), suspects witches snatched her newborn. When labour pains hit during the night, her husband, Exaverio Guvheya (64) raced to inform a local health professional. But when they returned his wife had already given birth and the baby was gone. A blood splattered bed was all that was left.

Read more here

USA: A Lot of Americans Think the Spirit World Exists

A new study shows that 57 percent of Hispanics believe in otherworldly beings—and the percentage is even higher among evangelical Protestants.

Spirits have more of a formal role in religious life. Possession and exorcism are part of Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam… Many Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians pray for saints to intervene in their lives; the Vatican routinely reviews miracles claimed to be caused by the holy figures of the Church.

But what do most people actually believe about the spirit world? A new Pew study on Hispanic-American religious belief attempts to provide part of an answer to this question, with fascinating results: It shows that spirits are still pretty popular in modern life.

Read more and see the results here

Nigeria: Abuse of child ‘witches’ on rise, aid group says

Christian Eshiett was a rambunctious pre-teen who spent a lot of time cavorting with his friends in southern Nigeria. He would skip school and run away from home for days, frustrating his grandfather, who oversaw the boy’s care.

“I beat him severely with canes until they broke, yet he never shed a tear,” said Eshiett Nelson Eshiett, 76. “One day, I took a broom to hit him and he started crying. Then I knew he was possessed by demons. … Nigerian witches are terrified of brooms.”

From that day two years ago, Christian, now 14, was branded a witch. The abuse intensified.

Read more here

India: Woman’s headless body found near Ranchi

The headless body of a woman in her early twenties was recovered from the Subarnarekha near here on Thursday evening in what could be a case of human sacrifice.

The head of the body was yet to be found though police recovered an axe suspected to have been used to commit the crime.

Read more here

Ghana: Committee set up to oversee reintegration of alleged witches detained in six witch camps in North

The Northern Regional House of Chiefs has set up a committee to oversee the re-integration of alleged witches detained in six witch camps in the Northern region. 

This follows intense calls by Action Aid Ghana to free the alleged witches. 

Already, series of sensitization programmes have been held for families of the alleged witches to avoid stigmatisation when the so-called witches are finally re-integrated. 

Read more here

Tanzania: Hiding from the butchers of Tanzania – African girl among hundreds seeking refuge from murderous witch doctors who target their body parts because they’re albino

A woman cradling her baby, a young girl playing with her mother on the grass and a group of friends smiling for the camera.

Innocent scenes they may be, but these Tanzanians are in grave danger from all walks of life from fishermen and miners to witch doctors and murderers simply because they are albino.

Regarded as the ‘tribe of ghosts’ or ‘the invisibles’, albinos have suffered appalling treatment at the hands of their own people who butcher them for their body parts in the disturbingly mistaken belief they will bring them better health and good fortune.

Read more here