In the early 1990s, Benin City in Edo State in the south was billed as the venue for a global conference of witches.
Human rights are violated and development money is wasted under the guise of witchcraft. But local governments, police, human rights defenders and international aid organizations remain passive.
Entrepreneurs being blackmailed. Politicians being poisoned. Houses burned down. Mafia-like gangs committing crimes. Once part of a spiritual system at the service of communities, witchcraft has now become a threat for those communities in Benin, Cameroon and Nigeria.
Witchcraft, or magic, is – for the average Westerner – far away from their personal experience. It is something they laugh about. But for many Africans, using supernatural powers is part of a belief system they grew up with.
Their grandparents believed in magic, like the parents of their grandparents – a tradition that goes back ages. It brought social stability, a sense of security for people knowing their remit. There were traditional healers you could turn to when you got sick, there were spiritual leaders you could go to when you needed advice. Of course, there were also bad people who could use the magic to hurt you, but you knew who they were.
That has changed. Money and power have become important elements in this belief system, opening the way to massive corruption, blackmail and crimes at all levels. They all have a common factor: they use the peoples fear for black magic, witchcraft.
Of course there are still a large number of traditional witches or healers using magic only for the good of the individual and the community. But there is a growing number exploiting the fear of witchcraft for their own personal gain.
Nearly 10,000 witches were expected from around the world. Many Nigerians were disturbed by the news.
The drama that ensued is still narrated from pulpits across the country. I have heard it over and over again, from Christians and even from people who do not attend church.
Chief David Edebiri is the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, a title that gives him dominion over all the witches and wizards in the Benin Kingdom.
A witch who is able to abandon her destructive deeds can be reformed and groomed to fit back into the society.
The role to decide a deserving punishment for the supernatural elements, was assigned to him by the Oba he claims in a report The Nation published on Wednesday, February 6, 2019.
There are times when his subjects are able to make a confession after retiring from the life of being an enchanter. When this happens, the sober witch or wizard is taken to a special home to be reformed and returned to the society.
“Witches and wizards are my subjects. We deal with them in a decent way. There is no magical process in it.
“Once anybody confessed to be a witch, we send them to a home and a Chief is given the powers to disposes them. We take them through certain processes and they will become ineffective.
“They will go back to the society better persons.”
The Benin people are voodoo conscious. It is scary and equally exciting. [Wild Junket]
The idea that Benin is home to many witches is a popular topic used mostly in bants and for references to a paranormal event.
A research on Benin folklore is attributed to Badejo in 1996. It reveals the Benin people as a group with a belief in witchcraft.
This acceptance also implies a fear of witches who are known to be strong-willed — able to ensure harsh consequence for their targets in the spiritual realm.
