Justice Denied: Court Acquits Suspected Murderer of Alleged Witch in Enugu, by Leo Igwe

The Advocacy for Alleged Witches is disappointed by a court ruling in Enugu that acquitted, Michael Chukwuilo, a suspected murderer of Ms Mgboebuba in Enugu. Ms Mgboebuba was accused and subsequently beaten to death and buried in the forest for witchcraft.

In 2022, an informant drew the attention of AfAW to the accusation, persecution, and murder of Ms Mgboebuba:”Mgboebuba ate witchcraft and was killing our people. The number she killed was a lot. Through the efforts of her daughter (‘Chikwado’ and her husband) whom she was preparing to kill too, that was how it was discovered what she was doing. Awgu people caught her and questioned why she was killing innocent people who have clean hands, she said that her enemies were the ones that she killed. The names of the people she was preparing to kill were numerous. She had killed too many people and was going to kill more before she was caught. My father and mother, Okeke Kele, and his son, Onyebuchi, his daughter, and his grandchild were among the names found in the book of the people she had killed. The people of Awgu joined hands to drag her to Orie Awgu marketplace, mocked her, dragged her to her father’s compound in Obugo village, and beat her to death, then they carried her corpse and threw it away in the evil forest at the farm settlement of her husband’s village, Ululor”. 

Since 2022, AfAW has been working with the relatives of the victim to bring all those implicated in the murder to justice. As in many cases, the police were reluctant to intervene, arrest, and file charges against the suspects. 

AfAW worked with the widower to pressure police and other state agencies to arrest one of those who masterminded the brutal murder of this woman. Yesterday, the family’s legal counsel sent this message: “Good day, the court finally ruled against us, the judge said that the evidence given by our witnesses could not prove the ingredients of the offense of murder and that there was no confessional statement from Michael Chukwuilo. I was surprised to hear such a ruling today in court because he admitted in his statement that he reported your wife to the village council and his statement was admitted before the court”. 

AfAW is deeply saddened by this development because it is a huge setback to efforts to end witch persecution and murder in Nigeria. The police and courts must be rise up to their duties and responsibilities to diligently investigate and prosecute cases of witch hunts. Witch killing persists because of impunity. Witch hunting continues because perpetrators get away with their crimes. This court ruling is a serious blow to measures to hold witch hunters accountable. It is unfortunate that, as in many cases of witch persecution and murder, the justice system in Enugu has failed Ms Mgboebuba and her family. The justice system has failed the advocates against witch-hunting across the country, continent, and the world. 

This court ruling is a painful instance of justice delayed and eventually denied. Look, Mgboebuba’s matter is a murder case and a serious crime under the law. It was publicly committed. Mgboebuba did not die while sleeping. A local mob beat her to death and buried the body in a forest. The police were nonchalant. AfAW believes that the police compromised in investigating this capital offense. It took intense pressure and mobilization before the police made an arrest. The government of Enugu was indifferent and negligent in prosecuting the case. It showed no interest in bringing the killers to justice. The government is sending the wrong signals to the world. It is saying that it is unable to protect and defend alleged witches in the state. Mgboebuba’s family members say that they would fight on; they would appeal the judgment. And the Advocacy for Alleged Witches would support them every step of the way.

Leo Igwe directs the Advocacy for Alleged Witches.