ONYADAM, NIGERIA – MARCH, 2026 In a rural area of Nigeria, a mass attack on a woman occurred during an open-air religious gathering. In the middle of prayers and preaching, a pastor suddenly pointed to a woman in the crowd and declared that, through a spiritual vision, he recognized her as a witch responsible for the community’s misfortunes. The pastor’s accusation immediately triggered panic and aggression in the crowd toward the woman, who was brutally attacked. They threw objects at her and beat her with whatever they had on hand. Some even dragged her along the ground while chanting various religious slogans.
Fortunately, the victim was not lynched to death. The attack was stopped by several quick-thinking individuals who stood up for the woman and led her out of the crowd. Nevertheless, she had to be hospitalized in moderate condition; however, doctors stabilized her. State authorities have taken up the investigation, addressing whether the pastor’s statement can be considered incitement to violence. The incident was also condemned by several international human rights organizations, which are now pressuring the police to conduct a thorough investigation.
From a modern perspective, the belief in witchcraft may seem like a medieval relic. In many parts of Africa, as well as parts of Asia and South America, it is a deeply rooted part of cultural and social reality. In communities with limited access to education and modern medicine, people more often resort to tendencies to look for a specific culprit for their problems. When a child dies or a crop fails, they do not ask ‘How did this happen?’ but rather ‘Who caused this?’
