From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
The police in Benue State said it has arrested two persons from Konshisha Local Government Area after youths from the area buried two old men alive over allegations of witchcraft.
Trouble started when youths from Konshisha reportedly buried two persons alive for allegedly being behind a thunder strike that had affected his son, Henry Ihwakaa, his wife and a two weeks old child.
Our correspondent gathered that about five days ago when it was raining, it thunderstruck and killed one Henry Ihwakaa, his wife and a few weeks old child.
Without reporting to the authorities, youths from the community accused the victim’s father, Mr Ihwakaa, of bewitching his son and his family with thunder.
According to the source, the youths alleged that Mr Ihwakaa has been in the habit of bewitching people with thunderstorms in the area any time it rains.
It was gathered, however, that on that fateful day, the youths mobilized and attack Mr Ihwakaa and one other person they alleged was his collaborator and later dug a shallow grave and buried them alive.
A witness and elder in the community, Engr Baba Agan, said the matter was reported to the police in Konshisha local government where the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), mobilized his men to the scene of the incident.
According to our source, by the time the police team arrived at the grave and exhume their bodies, the two elders had already died of suffocation.
Speaking to Daily Sun on Monday in Makurdi, the Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident saying two suspects have been arrested and further investigation is ongoing.
Anene said” I heard it was one person that was buried alive. They said the deceased is a young man who had a wife and a child. Lightning killed three of them; the man, his wife and a two weeks old child. Maybe they were in the same room when the lightning came.
“So the youths now said it was the elders that were bewitching people, that his father bewitched him with the lightning. So they carried him and buried him alive as a witch.”
The PPRO who noted that the police has arrested two persons in connection with the case said the youth put up a serious fight with the police to prevent their arrest.
Anene who recalled that authorities during a weather forecast, had said that there would be a lot of thunderstorms this rainy season, noted that most people don’t listen to the news while some others are still illiterate and don’t understand science or the way things work
The PPRO who described the act as barbaric cautioned members of the public against jungle justice and urged them to always report any case to the police for the right action and not take laws into their hands saying “We cannot continue to be living like animals, a barbaric way of life.”