By Ado Oyeyemi
An 85-year-old woman in Zamfara State has allegedly been stripped naked, beaten and subjected to other forms of brutal treatment after she was accused of witchcraft.
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday by its Director, Leo Igwe.
Igwe said the incident came to the attention of the organisation after the Zamfara office of the National Human Rights Commission shared an audio recording of the alleged assault with AfAW on August 18, 2026.
According to him, the elderly woman had visited a woman who had recently given birth to exchange pleasantries when the mother allegedly accused her of being a witch.
He said the octogenarian denied the allegation, but the accusation reportedly attracted a mob that attacked her.
Igwe alleged that the mob pelted the woman with stones and beat her with pestles and sticks, leaving her with injuries to her head and hand.
He said the attackers allegedly dragged her along the ground, pushed her into a toilet and hit her with the toilet seat while threatening to kill her if anything happened to the newborn.
The AfAW director further alleged that the woman was stripped naked, slapped repeatedly and ordered to step over the baby several times as proof that she was not a witch.
He said when she questioned how she was expected to perform the act, she was allegedly beaten and threatened with death.
Igwe stated that the woman eventually complied and was forced to step over the baby repeatedly. He added that the mob also allegedly made her perform the same act involving the mother of the newborn.
According to him, the attackers discussed inviting a traditional priest to determine whether the woman was a witch and also considered taking her to the police.
The elderly woman was later taken to a hospital, where she received treatment before being discharged.
Igwe, however, alleged that the harassment did not end after her discharge, adding that the victim had identified some of those allegedly involved in the assault as members of her family whom she had known for years.
He said the woman was now seeking justice, while a photograph made available to AfAW showed her with a bruised face and injuries on different parts of her body.
Igwe said the organisation contacted the NHRC several times to obtain further details and explore ways of providing legal and humanitarian assistance to the victim.
He claimed that the woman’s family had subsequently frustrated attempts to assist her because they were allegedly opposed to the incident being made public.
The AfAW director described the case as an example of the violence suffered by people accused of witchcraft, particularly elderly women, in some communities.
He urged the Zamfara State Government to intervene and ensure that the victim receives justice, protection and necessary support.
Igwe also called on security agencies to investigate the alleged assault and prosecute anyone found culpable.
He said allegations of witchcraft should never be used as justification for violence, stressing that perpetrators of such attacks must be held accountable.
He added that the continued persecution of alleged witches was encouraged by the failure to punish those responsible for the abuse.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in Zamfara State, Abubakar Yazid, said the matter had not been formally reported to the command.
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Yazid, who responded to an inquiry through a text message, said the police would look into the allegation and take necessary action.
