It was learnt that the women were labelled as witches following the death of the children of a Boko Haram commander, identified as Ali Ngulde.
A civic organisation, Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) has described the killing of over 20 women for alleged witchcraft by the Islamic jihadist group, Boko Haram, in Borno, Northeastern Nigeria as shocking and condemnable.
It, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari's administration to take adequate measures to protect women across the country.
SaharaReporters had reported that the women numbering over 20 were killed on Tuesday after they were kidnapped from Gwoza community in Borno by members of the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic sect and labelled as witches.
It was learnt that the women were labelled as witches following the death of the children of a Boko Haram commander, identified as Ali Ngulde.
“Boko Haram commander, Ali Ngulde slaughtered about 20 women by slitting their throats after accusing them of being witches in Borno,” a military source told SaharaReporters on Tuesday.
“About 40 of them were abducted last week, over 10 were slaughtered in Gwoza town last Thursday and more than 10 were killed during the weekend.
“The women were all suspected of witchcraft after the sudden death of the children of the jihadist group's commander.”
But reacting in a statement to the gruesome killing of the women by the terror group, AfAW described it as shocking and unacceptable, adding that "accusations happen when people attribute misfortunes to occult or supernatural causes or when people are not satisfied with ordinary, natural, or commonsensical explanations of ailments and deaths."
Signed by the Director of AfAW, Leo Igwe, the group lamented that the Boko Haram militants have been waging a vicious campaign to establish an Islamic state.
The statement read, "It is widely known that the group targets, attacks, and kills anyone considered an enemy or an opponent to its cause. This case of witch purge brings another worrisome dimension to the savage attacks and atrocities of this bloodthirsty group. But this instance of witch bloodletting should not come as a surprise.
"Given the ongoing conflicts and insecurity in the region, needless and avoidable deaths of men, women, and children happen and are expected. People are likely to experience uncanny misfortunes.
"The Boko Haram campaign has led to a humanitarian crisis in Borno. There is a virtual collapse of the health infrastructure, especially in areas where these militants operate and occupy. People who are sick do not get the required medical assistance that they need. Many are unable to go to hospitals.
"And if they are lucky to go to hospitals, there are no medicines. There are no medical personnel to attend to them. This crisis provides a fertile ground for the proliferation of witchcraft fears, suspicions, and anxieties. As in other cases of witch killing, no medical reports confirmed the cause of death of these children.
"AfAW notes that existential uncertainties pervade the region. Women who live in these places are vulnerable and likely to suffer witchcraft accusations, persecution, and murder. They are likely to be scapegoated for misfortunes that people encounter. Thus more cases of abduction, attack, or bloodletting linked to witchcraft beliefs are expected.
"AfAW urges the Nigerian authorities to take measures to protect women, children, and other vulnerable members of the population from witchcraft accusations, witch persecution, and killing."