A mob in Oke-Ijeun, a community in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Tuesday lynched an elderly woman.
The woman, Ojo Kehinde, was accused by the mob of being a witch and transforming from a bird to a human.
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Video clips showing Mrs Kehinde in a ditch and surrounded by the mob have been circulating on social media, mainly X.
In one of the clips uploaded by an X user (@Teeniiola), the mob was seen abusing and hitting the victim, who appeared to be in her 80s.
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The clip was titled: “Full video of a Flying Bird that turns into a human being in Abeokuta.”
However, the eight-minute clip did not show Mrs Kehinde transforming into a human, as the video and its title suggest.
In the clip, Mrs Kehinde was visibly weak and looking rather haggard, apparently because of the beatings.
How it happened
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that a prophetess from a church within the area first raised the alarm that Mrs Kehinde transformed into a human from a bird.
The prophetess, whose name could not be ascertained, claimed the birth fell on the roof of her church before changing into Mrs Kehinde.
The prophetess claimed she was praying when the incident happened.
The prophetess, whose name could not be ascertained, and other members of the community were seen in the video interrogating the old woman.
Mrs Kehinde struggled to speak due to her weakness as the mob interrogated her.
Police operatives from Ogun State later rescued her.
Death
Leo Igwe, the director of the Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AFAW), told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that the woman had died as a result of the beatings by the mob.
“There were still blood stains while she was being rescued. The prophetess was at some point hitting her on the head,” he said.
AfAW is an advocacy group campaigning for an end to witch persecution in Africa.
Mr Igwe said the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department of the police headquarters in Ogun State.
The victim’s son, Kabir Kehinde, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the prophetess, who first raised the alarm, has been arrested by the police.
Mr Kehinde said his mother was not a witch and did not transform from a bird.
Police speak
PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately get the comment of Omolola Odutola, the police spokesperson in Ogun State, because of poor communication network signal.
Ms Odutola, a superintendent of police, did not respond to subsequent calls from our reporter.
However, the investigating police officer in charge of the case confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the prophetess had been arrested over the incident.
The officer, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to reporters, said he was not at the office at the moment and could not give details of the case.
Group kicks
AFAW, the advocacy group campaigning for an end to witch persecution in Africa, has faulted the accusation and attack on Mrs Kehinde.
“The Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) urges Nigerians to realise that no human being turns into a bird, snake, or cat as popularly believed,” Mr Igwe, its director, said in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday.
He said the viral video clips of the mob action against the woman have illustrated “the grip of superstition on the minds of Nigerians” despite modern education.
“The misconception that a human being can turn into a bird remains a popular superstition.
“The notion that a human being could magically turn or transform into a bird or cat is counterintuitive,” he said.
Mr Igwe said the superstition contradicts the fundamentals of science and logic studied in schools.
READ ALSO: Man accused of witchcraft burnt to death in Ebonyi
The AFAW director regretted that religions often preach, peddle, and reinforce the idea he described as “baseless and nonsense.”
“Nigerians often use this misconception to justify murder, torture and maltreatment of elderly persons, including those suffering from dementia and other mental health challenges,” he said.
“AfAW urges Nigerians to abandon these superstitions and embrace science and critical thinking.”
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