Mob tortures two elderly men to death over witchcraft allegation in Benue

Two elderly men have been tortured to death by a mob action, following witchcraft allegations levelled against them in the Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State.

Witnesses said the deceased victims, Kwaghange Ugbu and Atuur Shaaja, were beaten by the mob and dragged with a rope on the ground around their vicinity in Gwer East until they died.

It was gathered that the incident happened on September 28 after one David Terseer Nongobo, a native of Mbaaku Mbasombo in the same Gwer East slumped while working on the farm.

Nongobo who recently completed his secondary education, according to the witnesses, was reportedly rushed to the village hospital where the medics confirmed him dead.

It was gathered further that when the news of the young school leaver broke in his community, some youths allegedly mobilised themselves to the home of the two elderly men; Ugbu and Shaaja who are relatives of the dead boy and accused them of killing him through witchcraft.

It was gathered victims of the jungle justice kept screaming in their native Tiv dialect that they didn’t have a hand in the young man’s death but the mob didn’t listen to them.

It has been gathered that cases involving the killings of some people over witchcraft allegations are gradually on the increase in the state as a similar incident happened recently in Shangev Tiev community of Konshisha LGA of the state.