Plight of Enough Window Branded Witch and Forced To Eat Faeces, Worsen as She’s Left Under a Tree After Hospital Discharge
For Mrs Chinyere Okonkwo, widowhood was already a heavy burden. But what happened to her in Amanfu, Ugbawka in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State stripped her of the last shred of dignity left.
Accused of witchcraft by her own community, she was paraded, humiliated, and allegedly forced to eat faeces.
The trauma landed her in hospital. Today, after surviving both mob brutality and the sickbed, she is homeless again — abandoned under a tree at Parklane Hospital, Enugu.
Her son, Osita Okonkwo, has not left her side. He sits with her under that tree, watching his mother who once had a roof, now have only shade.
“She was discharged four days ago, but we cannot leave,” Osita said quietly. “The bill is N620,000. We don’t have it.”
Every day they remain in the hospital premises, they spend N13,500 just to feed.
Osita’s voice breaks as he appeals to the Enugu State Government and kind-hearted Nigerians: help us go home.
His mother’s story had drawn attention. After the degrading witchcraft accusation, the Advocacy for Alleged Witches, AfAW, intervened. A local advocate confirmed the incident, and through the National Human Rights Commission in Enugu, the Gender Task Force and the Ministry of Gender were involved.
On October 12, the Commissioner for Gender convened a meeting and promised government would take care of the medical bills.
Mrs Okonkwo was referred to Parklane, a government hospital, while AfAW pledged to support her rehabilitation and quest for justice. The police also arrested some suspects.
Then the promise faded.
“Unfortunately, this morning AfAW got the news that the woman had been abandoned at Parklane hospital, that she could not be released because the government had not paid the bill as promised,” said Dr Leo Igwe, Director of AfAW, in a statement in Owerri.
Igwe described the situation as a betrayal of commitment to end gender-based violence.
“AfAW is concerned by this development which demonstrates a lack of commitment by the Enugu state government to ending gender-based violence. AfAW urges the government of Enugu state to address this shameful and embarrassing development. It should pay the medical bills and provide this woman accused and fed with faeces some welfare package. The world is watching,” he said.
Under that tree at Parklane, Mrs Okonkwo waits — a widow twice wounded: first by superstition that called her a witch, and now by a system that promised to heal her but left her in the cold.
She does not need pity. She needs justice. She needs a home.
