A physician, Amina Onyewuchi, has advised Nigerians to refrain from attributing the cause of every sickness to witchcraft.
Dr. Onyewuchi, who is also a surgeon consultant at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi,
She decried the worrisome rate at which Nigerians adduced illnesses to witchcraft, citing several instances when patients accused an imaginary devil as the cause of their illness.
According to her, these are beliefs that are not actually true.
Onyewuchi who is the Benue State Chairperson of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, gave the advice at an advocacy lecture put together by a non governmental organisation – the ‘Advocacy for Alleged Witches,” in conjunction with the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Benue State University, which held at the Faculty Lecture Theater Hall.
The advocacy lecture centred on superstitions surrounding witchcraft in the different societies.
Onyewuchi lamented that when people ought to always seek medical care from hospitals whenever they fall sick, they go to spiritual homes looking for solution where there is none.
She said, “Most illnesses you glorify as witchcraft are not. Go to the hospitals anytime you have ill health issues. Even mad people are treated in the hospital. Don’t neglect the role of the hospital when you are sick.”
She commended the group for the knowledge being impacted on the students, and appealed to the group to extend the advocacy to the rural communities.
Also, the Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Benue State University, Professor Benjamin Ahule.in his contribution , accused some religious leaders of promoting superstition to manipulate their members.
However, speaking with reporters, the Director of Advocacy for Alleged Witches, Dr Leo Igwe revealed that the group had intervened in over 150 cases of people accused of witchcraft across the country.
He decried the inhuman treatment that is often meted out to people accused of witchcraft in the society; a practice which he said has resulted in the death of several of the accused persons, adding that few of the cases were being prosecuted in court.
Igwe pointed out, “We have intervened in over 150 cases of people accused of witchcraft across the country. Seven of the cases are from Benue State.
“We have three cases of people accused of witchcraft in Adamawa, that we are prosecuting in court; one in Anambra; one in Enugu and two in Benue; but one of the cases was withdrawn for settlement.”
While insisting that witchcraft is a religion that believes in superstition, the advocacy group boss declared that the advocacy is determined to help educate, enlighten, and raise awareness on the issues of witchcraft and witch-hunts.
“We hope to challenge believers, persuade, and prickle their consciences. we hope to get them to rethink their witchcraft beliefs, assumptions, and suppositions.
“We hope to use this event to empower victims and their families and get them to speak out and get psychosocial and material help and support.
“If anyone has been a victim or you know someone who has been a victim, please come forward. The Advocacy for Alleged Witches exists to support and empower you,” Dr. Igwe urged the public.
In a related department, a mental health expert, Olurotimi Coker, has said that depression, anxiety reaction, psychosis among others are pure mental disorders and have nothing to do with “village people” as a causative factor.
Coker, who is a Professor of Psychiatry, Lagos State University Ojo, said that the faulty interpretation of the causes of mental disorders that propels people to always make traditional healers or the church their first port of call for solution when any family member has mental health issues.
Noting that this wrong interpretation due to cultural factors and ignorance often leads to poor outcome, he advised Nigerians to always seek help from experts concerning mental health challenges.
The don spoke recently in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while fielding questions from The Daily Crucible after delivering a public lecture titled, ‘Four Dimension of Health Explained,’ during the 51 anniversary celebration of ACOSA737set of Comprehensive High School Aiyetoro, Yewa North Local Government of Ogun State.
He said, “The essence of this lecture is to educate through public education, advocacy and enlightenment to let people know that when you have mental illness, it is not ‘village people follow me’ thing.
“It is just mental disorder like depression, anxiety, psychosis or dementia. We are trying to say, look, village people don’t cause mental disorders. Culturally, people believe village people cause mental disorders that is why they will say, ‘my village people following me.’ It is because of the way they interpret mental disorders.”
He advised people to engage in laughter always, community endeavours and fitness exercise to help ward off negative thoughts and stay mentally healthy.
