85-YEAR-OLD WOMAN ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTED OVER WITCHCRAFT ACCUSATION IN ZAMFARA

An 85-year-old woman in Zamfara State has allegedly been subjected to severe physical abuse after she was accused of witchcraft by a woman whose newborn baby she had gone to visit. The incident was disclosed by Advocacy for Alleged Witches, whose Director, Leo Igwe, said the elderly woman was beaten, stripped naked and threatened with death following the accusation. According to Igwe, the National Human Rights Commission office in Zamfara shared an audio recording of the incident with the organisation on August 18, 2026.

Igwe said the elderly woman had visited the new mother to exchange pleasantries but was allegedly accused of being responsible for witchcraft. Although she reportedly denied the accusation, a mob allegedly gathered and attacked her with stones, pestles and sticks, leaving her with serious injuries to her head and hand. The attackers were also said to have dragged her along the floor, pushed her into a toilet and struck her with the toilet seat while threatening to kill her if anything happened to the baby.

The Advocacy for Alleged Witches director further alleged that the attackers stripped the woman naked and repeatedly slapped her before forcing her to step over the newborn several times as a supposed test to prove that she was not a witch. When she questioned how she was expected to perform the act, she was reportedly beaten and threatened before eventually complying. Igwe said the mob also forced her to repeat the act involving the baby's mother and discussed bringing in a traditional priest to determine whether she was a witch.

Following the assault, the elderly woman was reportedly taken to a hospital where she received medical treatment before being discharged. However, Igwe claimed that the accusations and harassment continued after her release, adding that the victim was able to identify some of those allegedly involved in the attack, including family members she had known for many years. He described the case as an example of the wider persecution allegedly faced by people, particularly elderly women, who are accused of witchcraft and subjected to violence within their communities.

Igwe called on the Zamfara State Government and security agencies to intervene, investigate the incident and ensure that anyone found responsible is prosecuted. He argued that such cases should not be ignored or allowed to go unpunished, warning that impunity could encourage further attacks against alleged witches. Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Police Command said the incident had not been reported to the police, according to its Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Yazid.