70-year-old Woman Beaten To Death For Alleged Witchcraft In Bauchi

The Police in Bauchi have arrested four 
suspects for reportedly beating a 70-year-old woman to death for alleged witchcraft in Doka Village in Bauchi suburb.

 The Police Public Relations officer, PPRO, of the Command, Kamal Mohammed, on Tuesday in his office said ‎the incident happened at the village in Bauchi Local Government Area of the state on September 5. Mr. Mohammed said that the suspects seized the deceased, Liyatu Michael, and another elderly woman whom they suspected of witchcraft, to a room in a house in the community ”and started beating them.”

He said that report that reached the police indicated that on realising that one of the women had died, they took her lifeless body outside the room and dumped it in the backyard The other victim identified as Keziya, survived the beating and has been hospitalised.

Mr. Mohammed explained that the police have arrested four suspects in connection with the crime while some suspects are still at large adding that the police are making effort to arrest them and bring them to justice.
 He said that the police are investigating the circumstances that led to Ms. Michael’s death while the four suspects would soon be charged to court for culpable homicide.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that problem started for the two women after they allegedly confessed to be among those practising witchcraft that had “caused” many premature deaths and setbacks in the community.

 The irate mob thereafter pounced on them in a bid to force them to confess more details of their alleged atrocities.

 Our correspondent gathered that the youth were specifically angered that the duo was allegedly behind ”the grave illness of a young house wife in the community identified as Yelkon.

“Yelkon has been bedridden and seriously sick immediately after she gave birth and we learnt that her illness was caused by the two women who confessed to have “tied her” in the coven and said she would be sick until she dies,” a resident of Doka, who pleaded anonymity, said.