The incident has sparked concerns about the safety and well-being of the elderly in the community.
Mrs. Victoria Edugie, a 75-year-old woman, has spoken out against the alleged brutal assault she suffered at the hands of Chief Victor Ekhator, a titled traditional chief in the Benin Kingdom of Edo State, Nigeria.
The incident has sparked concerns about the safety and well-being of the elderly in the community.
Mrs. Edugie was reportedly attacked and brutally assaulted by Ekhator at a store she visited to buy food items in Benin City, Edo State. The store is located in a building owned by Ekhator, who has been accusing Mrs. Edugie of being a witch and disturbing him spiritually, a claim she strongly denies.
Speaking from her hospital bed, Mrs. Edugie, who is currently living in daughter's house while her daughter and son-in-law are away pastoring in Europe, expressed her shock and confusion over the attack.
She stated that she is unsure what offence she committed to warrant such brutality and fears that she may lose vision in her left eye due to the injuries inflicted by Ekhator.
Mrs. Edugie, who identified herself as a devout Christian and follower of Jesus Christ, expressed her distress and confusion over the brutal attack by Ekhator, who had previously accused her of witchcraft. She questioned how she could be practising witchcraft when her faith is rooted in Christianity.
Furthermore, Mrs. Edugie pointed out the hypocrisy of the chief's actions, saying he had publicly apologised to her just months prior for falsely labelling her a witch. This contradiction has left her feeling bewildered and seeking justice for the unwarranted assault.
"I don't know what has changed after the apology. I am not a witch and I don't practise witchcraft," she said.
Narrating the incident which happened on Tuesday, she said: "I am a grandmother and I am living in my daughter's house in Benin City.
"On that Tuesday, because of the planned #EndBadGovernance protests, I said let me go to market and pick one or two things and keep in case the protest degenerated into something else. And I remembered a neighbour selling some food items in one of Chief Ekhator's stores, which is almost opposite my daughter's house.
"The man doesn't often stay in the house because it is their family house. Since I wanted to go to market to buy things, I went to her shop to buy pepper and other things. When the lady entered inside to package the stuff, Chief Ekhator drove in.
"Immediately, he saw me standing in front of the shop, he shouted and asked what I was doing in his house. He asked, ‘Have I not warned you never to come to my house?’ I told him that I didn't know when he barred me from coming around his property. Immediately I stepped out of the shop and began to go back to my house, he alighted from his car, moved towards me and slapped me.
"When I asked what my offence was, he gave me another slap. I don't have anyone and my children are not around. My daughters have married. So, I grabbed his clothes and started shouting. He started throwing punches at my face and head. Seeing the level of brutality, his friend alighted from his car and a young man who was passing by rescued me from him. The man who's a teacher then took me to my shop in my daughter's house.
"Seeing the injuries he inflicted on me, the man helped me to call my son. Before my son came and took me to the police station to report the case, the chief returned to my house and claimed that I tore his clothes and traditional bead.
“When we got to the police station, I narrated what happened and was given a police report to go to the hospital to treat myself first. And tomorrow (Monday), I will write a statement at the police station.”
"Since then, I have been visiting the hospital daily because of the injury I sustained in the eye. I don't know whether I will see with that eye again," she added.
Mrs. Edugie’s son, Uwadiae Favoured, has made a desperate appeal for help, revealing that Ekhator has threatened to kill his mother. The son fears that Ekhator's wealth, influential connections, and status as a traditional chief in the community will embolden him to carry out his threat with impunity.
Uwadiae’s cry for help comes as his mother remains hospitalised following the brutal assault by Ekhator, who had previously accused her of witchcraft and later apologised for the false allegation.
He said, "My mum is not a witch, we are Christians. We don't know where the allegation of witchcraft is coming from.
“My mother has asked said she is ready to swear by anything to prove her innocence. She has asked him to report her to the traditional ruler as he had threatened several times to do. However, he has refused to do so.
"I don't know why he wants to kill my mother," he lamented.
Uwadiae revealed that he is already grappling with personal issues, but the brutal assault on his mother has significantly compounded his problems, causing him additional distress and hardship.
He said, “I’m having some personal challenges. I’m battling with document issues, which is creating a job problem for me and, at the same time, trying to raise two kids.
"Now, I have a new challenge which makes me completely helpless. The chief claimed my mum is disturbing him spiritually and he is going to make sure my mother leaves town. He has been giving my mother issues for long because he said he is well connected and we can't do anything to him.
"He was taken to the police station after he beat up my mother and was immediately released. He came straight to sit at my mum’s store and said she wasn't going to be allowed to open her store. They beat up a girl that was trying to video him and his ‘boys’ (thugs), seized her phone and deleted the video.
"He is terrorising the whole neighbourhood, and everyone is afraid of him. After my mum was taken to the hospital, she couldn't return home because the man had taken control of her house.”
"I am completely helpless and worried," he added.
Despite attempts by SaharaReporters to reach Ekhator for comment on the incident, he remained unavailable. Calls to his phone went unanswered, and a text message sent to his mobile number received no response as of Sunday evening, when this report was filed.
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches has vehemently denounced the vicious assault, torture, and beating of the 75-year-old woman in Benin, labelling the attack as utterly unacceptable.
Dr. Leo Igwe, Director of the group, expressed outrage over the unprovoked attack in a statement to SaharaReporters, urging security agencies, particularly the police, to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure the prosecution of all individuals involved.
He said, "We are really outraged that such attack could be perpetrated against this woman under these circumstances.
“And we hope that the authorities - the police authority should take all necessary measures to make sure that the man who instigated the attack and all those who participated in the brutal maltreatment of this woman are brought to justice.
"We also hope that the police would investigate and prosecute all those who are implicated in this unprovoked attack on the woman. We also call on the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo N'Oba N'Edo, Oba Ewuare II; National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), civil society groups and other state and non-state actors to take all necessary measures to make sure that vulnerable women and children are not attacked and treated this way. They should send strong message to the attackers so that such act should not be repeated again."