Give to Gain: Justice for Women Accused of Witchcraft in Africa

The theme of this year's International Women's Day, Give to Gain, underscores the imperative of intentional and collective generosity. It highlights the importance of contributing and helping address the deficits in the promotion and protection of women rights. This piece examines the intersection of intentional giving and accusations of witchcraft against women. Witchcraft has a female face. That is why the narrative of the occult is often framed as 'witchcraft', not 'wizardcraft'. Give to Gain is a clarion call to duty and responsibility. It is a proposition to share time and contribute resources for the furtherance and enhancement of womanity, the humanity of women. Persecution of women in the name of witchcraft in Africa is rife, and has persisted because the world, especially Africa, has refused to give. Humans have been reluctant to liberate women. This year's theme is a rallying cry to all people of conscience to act decisively and deploy expertise in combating gender inequities and abuse. It is a beckoning to Africans to augment efforts and advocacy initiatives against injustices and the degrading treatment of women accused of witchcraft.

Here are a few cases that illustrate a lack of giving and the imperative of intentional generosity in the fight against witch hunts and ritual attacks in Africa.

Let's examine the case of Obiageri Ottih. She is a 49-year-old woman from Imo state in southern Nigeria. She is a traditional/ indigenous religious worshipper. On Friday, February 27, she was charged in a magistrate's court for attempted murder and remanded in prison. What happened? In December, her relatives, Vivian Ottih, Hilary Ottih, who is based in the US, and others accused Obiageri of 'Agwucraft'. They claimed that she introduced a traditional religious facility called Agwu or Agbara that was disturbing the peace in the family and community. These relatives asked Obiageri and the husband. Joseph Ottih, to remove the Agwu, but they refused. Hilary, Vivian, and other Christian family members brought vigilante and police officers from the Tigerbase unit who invaded Obiageri's compound and forcefully removed the Agwu. Obiageri and her family opposed and resisted the removal of the Agwu without success.

A video recording of the raid shows police and vigilante members forcing their way into Obiageri Ottih's compound. They slapped and beat up Obiageri and her children, as they tried to resist the Agwuhunters. On December 29, another relative, Engr John Ottih, convened a meeting at the house of Hilary, where they banished Obiageri from the family. On January 3, police arrested Obiageri, put her in the trunk of the car, drove her to the notorious Tigerbase police station, and detained her for about 4 days. The police released her, but that was after her family coughed up 150 thousand naira. Meanwhile, police harassment of Obiageri Ottih and family continued.

On February 19, 2026, police rearrested and detained Obiageli till February 27, when she was charged. Also on February 19, the police arrested Obiageri's son, Uchenna, and detained him for about 7 days, extorted 150 thousand naira, and asked him to report to the station on a later date. The police tried to arrest one of her daughters. They traced her to where she was working in Owerri and apprehended her. They slapped her, but she managed to escape and fled naked into a nearby bush. She had a dislocation and is currently in hiding. Obiageri suffers from low blood pressure and has been ill since she was transferred to the prison. A legal counsel has been engaged to defend Obiageri Ottih and her family because the bogus charge is an attempt by her accusers and the police to change the narrative and further victimize her. In addition, a court action will be filed against her accusers and the police to restrain them from further harassment, illegal detention, and extortion of money from Obiageri and her family members.

In a related case, Arit Inyang, an 86-year-old woman from Akamkpa in Cross River State, Nigeria, has not been seen since the end of October. Before then, the nephew accused her on several occasions, threatening to murder her. Local advocates petitioned the police, and the nephew was arrested. The police compelled the accuser to sign an undertaking not to accuse or threaten her again. The police released him. Shortly after his release, Arit went missing and has not been seen to date. Advocates suspect that she has been murdered The Basic Rights Counsel Initiative sent a petition to the police, but the police have yet to intervene in the matter. Apparently, the police are waiting to be mobilized before they can commence an investigation. The Advocacy for Alleged Witches is working with BRCI to facilitate a police investigation of the matter. It is pertinent to confirm what happened to Arit Inyang.

In addition, justice has been delayed and may eventually be denied in the case of Adijat Pereira in Lagos. The police have yet to arrest the suspected murderer, Adijat's ex-boyfriend, Omotolani Taiwo. Taiwo allegedly killed her last year for rituals. The mother petitioned the police, but the police have not effectively intervened. The mother paid the police to track and arrest the suspected murderer without success. Advocates have visited the police station at Panti to register their frustration and disappointment over their handling of the case. All the pressures have not yielded any significant outcome. Advocates suspect that relatives of the suspected murderer had bribed the police to compromise the investigation and 'kill' the matter.

In Nigeria and other African countries, thousands of innocent women and girls are attacked and killed as witches; they suffer accusations and miscarriage of justice because African societies, including Western anthropologists and their NGO counterparts, have been ungenerous. They have refused to give or have given miserly, in a patronizing, condescending, or tokenistic way. The justice system has failed women accused of witchcraft. The Advocacy for Alleged Witches works to bridge the gap and fill the lacuna in giving to gain justice for alleged witches. Like Obiageri, Arit, and Adijat, women accused of witchcraft are doubly victimized. They have disappeared or silently eliminated without a trace. Lives of women accused of witchcraft do not matter in many places. They do not count in many societies. Women accused of witchcraft are violated and subjected to abuses with impunity because African states, police, and courts have failed in their responsibility to give, protect, or provide some relief. This year's International Women's Day nudges everyone to understand the importance of giving and contributing to gain justice, dignity, and humanity for all women, especially those accused of witchcraft in Africa.

Leo Igwe directs the Advocacy for Alleged Witches