From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Non-governmental organisation, Advocacy for Alleged Witch (AFAW), has berated some religious leaders in Nigeria and Africa for encouraging and helping to propagate witchcraft belief.
Director of the group, Leo Igwe, who expressed dissatisfaction over the practice by some clerics during his speech at a seminar at the weekend in Owerri , to commemorate the “World Witch Hunt Day” regretted that their action is merely encouraging witchcraft rather than discouraging it.
He said some of the obnoxious acts have claimed many ignorant lives, which he noted ought to have been prevented by the religious leaders through enlightenment.
“When I think of these practices which ought to have been condemned by the religious leaders, I shed tears knowing that they’re the ones encouraging them. A girl was set on fire simply because she was labelled a witch by some people. We have cases of pastors passing death judgment because of their belief about a particular person they felt is strange.
“AfAW is focusing on the role of religious leaders because many incidents of witch-hunting have been linked to pastors, priests, diviners, imams, prophets, and prophetesses.
“These religious actors claim to have powers to identify and overwhelm ‘witches’ but there is no evidence that witches exist as popularly believed.
“Has anyone here seen a witch before? Has anyone experienced witchcraft as popularly believed? Some men of God and women carry out witch-hunts or motivate people to accuse and persecute alleged witches.
“Believers in witchcraft consult and get occult experts to confirm their suspicions. Some families and communities hire witch hunters. They invite them to come and cleanse and purge their places of these occult forces.
“These self-acclaimed witch-finders accuse innocent individuals who are subsequently attacked, tortured, or murdered.” Igwe said.