A wave of shock and outrage has swept through Edo State following the alleged killing of a five-year-old child living with a disability after a woman reportedly threw the youngster into a river on the instruction of a self-acclaimed seer.
Key highlight:
- A woman in Onwa Community, Edo State, allegedly threw a five-year-old child living with a disability into a river after being influenced by a self-proclaimed seer.
- The suspect reportedly believed the child was spiritually responsible for her repeated miscarriages and inability to have surviving children.
- She allegedly confessed that the spiritualist told her the child would transform into a python and disappear after being taken to the river.
- Community members challenged her claim that the child was already dead before being thrown into the river, insisting the child was alive.
- The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with calls for authorities to arrest all those involved and protect children with disabilities from abuse and harmful superstitious practices.
The disturbing incident, said to have occurred in Onwa Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, has sparked widespread condemnation across social media and renewed concerns about the dangers of harmful superstitious beliefs.
According to residents, the woman confessed that she carried out the act in the belief that it would help her conceive children who would survive childbirth.
She reportedly claimed that she had suffered several miscarriages and was persuaded by a spiritualist that the five-year-old child was spiritually responsible for her inability to have children.
The incident came to light after community members apprehended the woman and questioned her over the child’s disappearance.
In a video that has since gone viral, the suspect alleged that a seer instructed her to take the child to a river, assuring her that the youngster would transform into a python and disappear.
She further claimed that the spiritualist, whom she identified as being based in Benin City, convinced her that the child was not an ordinary human being.
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The woman reportedly told residents that she hired a canoe and paid the operator ₦7,000 to transport her across the river where she allegedly carried out the act.
She also claimed that the child had already died before being thrown into the river.
However, community members who confronted her reportedly dismissed the claim, insisting that the child was alive before the incident occurred.
Residents expressed disbelief and anger over the explanation, describing the alleged act as both heartbreaking and inhumane.
Adding to the controversy, the suspect reportedly gave conflicting accounts regarding the location of the spiritualist.
While she initially claimed the seer resided in Ewatto, Edo State, she later stated that the individual was based in Benin City.
The incident has heightened concerns about the influence of self-styled spiritual leaders who allegedly exploit vulnerable individuals through fear, superstition and false spiritual claims.
Many Nigerians have called on security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that all those connected to the incident, including the alleged seer, are identified and brought to justice.
The case has also reignited conversations about the need to protect children living with disabilities from discrimination, abuse and harmful traditional practices.
