70-year-old woman accused of witchcraft, beaten to death in Bauchi - Shepherd Digest Magazine

Four suspects have been arrested by the Police for allegedly beating a 70-year old woman to death.

She was alleged to be a witchcraft, the Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed.

The Police spokesman, Bauchi State Command, Kamal Mohammed, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, made the confirmation in an interview with newsmen in his office at the Police headquarters, Bauchi, on Tuesday.

The incident was said to have occurred at Doka village in Bauchi Local Government Area of the state on September 5th.

Mohammed said the suspects seized the deceased, Mrs. Liyatu Michael, and another elderly woman whom they both suspected of witchcraft, took them to a house in the community and started beating them.

He said reports reaching the Police indicated that “on realising that one of the women had died, they took her dumped her corpse in the backyard.”

The other woman, identified simply as Keziah, survived the beatings and is receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital, Mohammed added.

The Police spokesman explained that the police have arrested four suspects in connection with the death of Liyatu, while some other suspects are still at large; promising: “but the police are making efforts to arrest them and bring them to justice.”

He said the police are investigating the circumstances that led to Liyatu’s death, while the four suspects would soon be charged to court for culpable homicide.

It was gathered that trouble for the two women started after they allegedly confessed to being among “practising witches” that had reportedly “caused” many premature deaths and setbacks in Doka community.

The irate youths thereafter pounced on them, not minding their ages, in a bid to force them to confess more details of their alleged atrocities.

Newsmen further learnt that Liyatu, a mother of eight, and another elderly woman, Keziah, were rounded up by the youths at about 3.00am and taken to a room where the two elderly women were beaten to a pulp in the presence of their helpless children and family members.

Our correspondent learnt that the youths were specifically angered that the duo were allegedly behind the grave illness of a young housewife 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 that she would be sick until she dies,” said a resident of Doka, who pleaded anonymity.