The Adamawa witchcraft lynching

THE police in Adamawa State recently arrested and detained four middle-aged men in connection with the alleged murder of one Timothy Benson whom they charged with witchcraft at Dumna Dutse in Guyuk Local Government Area of the state on May 15. According to reports, the tragic incident occurred following  a drinking bout. Acting under the influence of alcohol, Benson and a neighbour reportedly accused each other of witchcraft. Specifically, Benson reportedly accused the neighbour of killing some prominent and influential members of the community, while the neighbour responded in kind, accusing him of terrorising the community with witchcraft and killing little children.  Following this apparently poor piece of spiritual intelligence, some residents decided that Benson was guilty as charged and set upon him with vigour. According to the police prosecutor, Zakka Musa, the four suspects killed Benson and burnt his corpse. The suspects were remanded in prison following their arraignment before a Yola Chief Magistrate’s Court.

This incident is, to say the least, unfortunate. It is regrettable that many people, despite being exposed to modernity in its various manifestations, are still attached to superstitious beliefs. Such people espouse dangerously backward views of life. This is clearly the case with the suspects who attacked Benson, killed him and proceeded to immolate him thereafter. Jungle justice still has active adherents in certain parts of the country. At this very moment, a man lies in the morgue or under the earth, not for committing any crime known to law but for facing unverified and apparently trumped up charges of being a witch who freely wreaked havoc on the neighbourhood, never mind that witchcraft is not even typically associated with men. Taking no cognisance of the fact that the disputants in this case were not quite sober, self-appointed community judges committed murder in the most brutal fashion and, as if taking a cue from recent incidents in parts of the country, proceeded to burn the victim’s corpse.

If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences. Perhaps if the suspects in this case had had the right orientation and attitude, things would have been remarkably different; Timothy Benson would still be alive and they would be free men. As things stand, however, not even an appeal to community vigilance and safety would avail them of anything, because communities are expected to be governed and protected by law. It is not for nothing that the country has a body of laws specifying prescribed conduct. The suspects must be treated in accordance with the laws of the land.

Perhaps if agencies like the National Orientation Agency (NOA) were more active, they would wield greater influence and make a difference in the lives of the people, steering them in the right direction, particularly at the local government level. All over the country, people need to be weaned from dark and demonic beliefs and practices. They need to be made aware of a different way of thinking that is scientific. Jungle justice is barbaric and must be combated with education, public enlightenment and swift prosecution of suspects to send warning signals to would-be perpetrators. Unfortunately, the government is not showing any real concern about the various influences of active superstitious beliefs on social behaviour. If the country’s youth population is engrossed in yahoo yahoo and other endeavours promising quick wealth, for instance, it is in large part because the society glorifies quick wealth.

In previous editorials, we suggested that the true road to wealth lies in finding solutions to common problems; that it is about originality of thinking and patents, not beliefs that add no value to the society. We hope that the current case is prosecuted in strict adherence to the laws of the land. But beyond that, we hope that superstitious beliefs and jungle justice are addressed decisively.

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