VIRAL VIDEO: WOMAN ACCUSED OF “WITCHCRAFT” IN ABIA RESCUED.
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2025 10:31 am
Mrs Amarachi Okechi, the woman who was repeatedly flogged, violently abused and held hostage for several days at Umueghu Amaegbuato community in Nkpa, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State has been rescued and taken to an undisclosed public hospital for treatment this afternoon.
A virally trending video and online news reports which broke over the weekend had shown youths in the community taking turns to flog Mrs. Okechi who was allegedly accused of “witchcraft” by a relative.
The incident has gathered national condemnation.
Meanwhile Chief Press Secretary to the Wife of the Governor of Abia State, Mr Chika Ojiegbe who made news of the woman’s release public said “the First lady Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu is particularly thankful to the member representing Bende South, Emmanuel Ndubuisi, the Bende LGA Chairman and his wife Mrs Leticia Onwuchekwa, as well as the traditional ruler of the area, for the role in successfully extricating the woman from the volatile area”.
“When the First Lady Nkechi Ikpeazu heard about it last night, she immediately swung into action to rescue the woman. In Abia we have a robust mechanism for responding to cases of gender based violence put in place by the First Lady, no matter how severe a case, it is treated individually according to its circumstances.”
“Several stakeholders were involved in securing the woman alive which is the first action that needed to be taken. This has been done. Now the next stage will be to address the issues surrounding the matter. The law enforcement agencies have been duly notified and have commenced appropriate investigations.”
“The allegations of witchcraft are strange to laws of the land. What is known to law is that no one can take laws into their hands to execute jungle justice. The law will take its course. The case will be closely monitored. Meanwhile the First Lady is picking up the hospital bills of the woman as treatment has commenced in earnest at the hospital. Our team from the GBV Resource Centre in Umuahia who were part of the rescue are also monitoring her health. I will give you updates as soon as they happen”
“Incidences like this are not welcome in Abia. Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu has done so much in this regard. She was able to get the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law passed and effectively functional in Abia State. She has repeatedly been to the House of Assembly to push for the passage of the proposed Obnoxious Widowhood Practices Prohibition Law, equal opportunities law, child rights law, disability law and many other human rights bills and the Assembly is working vigorously on passing these bills. Many institutions and structures have been put in place at the state, local government and community level which were called into play in this case to protect the woman. So Abia is very responsive, top three in the country in GBV response. This lead to a special award by the United Kingdom Government conferred on the First lady for her work.”
“Mrs Ikpeazu will continue to work to prevent and mitigate such violence against humans and to sensitise the people against such traditionally harmful acts, even in rural communities”
Meanwhile a former member of the House of Representative and human rights advocate, Mrs Nnena Ukeje has roundly condemned the incidence calling it a tragedy.
Her full statement: “The sad event of Wednesday that saw the humiliation and mob action against a woman who was accused of witchcraft in one of our communities in Abia state has understandably drawn the ire of well-meaning Nigerians all over the country and people outside the country. The world is indeed a global village and l have been inundated with calls, petitions and questions about the ugly incident. Human rights agencies and Civil society that are aware of the work my office has done over the years in interventions to try to mitigate harsh widowhood practices ,femicide, all forms of violence against women and children and our interventions in rape cases with special interest in under age sexual molestation have reached out to the office of the first lady and l am glad that we have intervened to deescalate the volatile situation, rehabilitate the victim and invite law enforcement to begin investigations...
“Tragic as this case is, l am glad it has brought to the notice of the world the challenges l have faced over the years in trying to moderate harmful cultural domestic practices and in the same vein preserve our cultural identity in the interest of decent best practices. I will through this medium invite all agencies to come partner with my office as we work collaboratively to create a better world for women. Women’s rights are after all human rights and any society that fails to set an agenda to protect its women must be prepared to bear the dire consequences of failed societies.
https://www.facebook.com/10003190862671 ... 7S9Ucbxw6v
A virally trending video and online news reports which broke over the weekend had shown youths in the community taking turns to flog Mrs. Okechi who was allegedly accused of “witchcraft” by a relative.
The incident has gathered national condemnation.
Meanwhile Chief Press Secretary to the Wife of the Governor of Abia State, Mr Chika Ojiegbe who made news of the woman’s release public said “the First lady Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu is particularly thankful to the member representing Bende South, Emmanuel Ndubuisi, the Bende LGA Chairman and his wife Mrs Leticia Onwuchekwa, as well as the traditional ruler of the area, for the role in successfully extricating the woman from the volatile area”.
“When the First Lady Nkechi Ikpeazu heard about it last night, she immediately swung into action to rescue the woman. In Abia we have a robust mechanism for responding to cases of gender based violence put in place by the First Lady, no matter how severe a case, it is treated individually according to its circumstances.”
“Several stakeholders were involved in securing the woman alive which is the first action that needed to be taken. This has been done. Now the next stage will be to address the issues surrounding the matter. The law enforcement agencies have been duly notified and have commenced appropriate investigations.”
“The allegations of witchcraft are strange to laws of the land. What is known to law is that no one can take laws into their hands to execute jungle justice. The law will take its course. The case will be closely monitored. Meanwhile the First Lady is picking up the hospital bills of the woman as treatment has commenced in earnest at the hospital. Our team from the GBV Resource Centre in Umuahia who were part of the rescue are also monitoring her health. I will give you updates as soon as they happen”
“Incidences like this are not welcome in Abia. Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu has done so much in this regard. She was able to get the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law passed and effectively functional in Abia State. She has repeatedly been to the House of Assembly to push for the passage of the proposed Obnoxious Widowhood Practices Prohibition Law, equal opportunities law, child rights law, disability law and many other human rights bills and the Assembly is working vigorously on passing these bills. Many institutions and structures have been put in place at the state, local government and community level which were called into play in this case to protect the woman. So Abia is very responsive, top three in the country in GBV response. This lead to a special award by the United Kingdom Government conferred on the First lady for her work.”
“Mrs Ikpeazu will continue to work to prevent and mitigate such violence against humans and to sensitise the people against such traditionally harmful acts, even in rural communities”
Meanwhile a former member of the House of Representative and human rights advocate, Mrs Nnena Ukeje has roundly condemned the incidence calling it a tragedy.
Her full statement: “The sad event of Wednesday that saw the humiliation and mob action against a woman who was accused of witchcraft in one of our communities in Abia state has understandably drawn the ire of well-meaning Nigerians all over the country and people outside the country. The world is indeed a global village and l have been inundated with calls, petitions and questions about the ugly incident. Human rights agencies and Civil society that are aware of the work my office has done over the years in interventions to try to mitigate harsh widowhood practices ,femicide, all forms of violence against women and children and our interventions in rape cases with special interest in under age sexual molestation have reached out to the office of the first lady and l am glad that we have intervened to deescalate the volatile situation, rehabilitate the victim and invite law enforcement to begin investigations...
“Tragic as this case is, l am glad it has brought to the notice of the world the challenges l have faced over the years in trying to moderate harmful cultural domestic practices and in the same vein preserve our cultural identity in the interest of decent best practices. I will through this medium invite all agencies to come partner with my office as we work collaboratively to create a better world for women. Women’s rights are after all human rights and any society that fails to set an agenda to protect its women must be prepared to bear the dire consequences of failed societies.
https://www.facebook.com/10003190862671 ... 7S9Ucbxw6v