…Rights Advocate Asks Imo Police to Arrest Him Instead in Alleged Witchcraft-Related Case
By Juliana Francis
Tension is brewing in the Agwu/Agbara community in Uguta Local Government Area of Imo State following allegations that the Imo State Police Command unlawfully intervened in a witchcraft-related dispute and subjected one Mrs Obiageli Ottih to prolonged detention and N150,000 extortion in violation of the law.
A human rights and religious freedom advocate, Dr Leo Igwe, made the allegation and called on the Imo State Police Command to arrest and prosecute him instead of Obiageli and her family, who have been accused of witchcraft.
Igwe described the police action as unlawful and a violation of fundamental human rights.
However, a female lawyer, Ms Vivian Ottih, sister-in-law, told The Eagle Online that Igwe’s claims were false.
She insisted that the matter which led to Obiageli’s arrest and detention at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command, otherwise known as Tiger Base, had nothing to do with witchcraft but was instead related to an allegation of attempted murder.
According to Vivian, she nearly lost her 20-year-old daughter, identified as Chineye, after Obiageli allegedly attacked the girl without provocation by striking her on the head with a pestle, causing her to lose consciousness immediately.
Chineye was rushed to the hospital and only regained consciousness after days. Vivian disclosed that CT scans were conducted on her daughter due to the severity of the injuries.
Igwe, who is the Director of Advocacy for Alleged Witches and a Board Member of Humanists International (UK), made his call in a formal letter addressed to the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command, Mr Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa.
According to Igwe, Obiageli’s arrest lacked legal basis and was allegedly influenced by false information supplied by relatives who accused her of witchcraft.
He argued that the police had no business interfering in matters relating to traditional practices, maintaining that a deity known as Agwu or Agbara, allegedly brought into the family compound by Obiageli, was part of traditional religious practice.
He also said that the Agbara was for the treatment of one of Obiageli’s children who had been sick.
“The police evacuation of the Agwu or Agbara had no basis in law,” Igwe stated. “The accusers and petitioners were the ones who broke the law by falsely accusing people and then mobilising vigilantes and police officers to invade the compound and remove the Agbara.”
Igwe further alleged that a police officer identified as Chikadibia, also known as “Kill and Bury,” threatened his organisation’s advocate, Elizabeth, who had been assisting the family to secure Obiageli’s release.
In his petition to Odeyeyiwa, Igwe wrote: “Your officer called our advocate, Elizabeth, threatening her over Mr Ottih’s case.”
He added that the advocate now fears for her safety and has suspended follow-up actions due to intimidation.
Igwe warned that the matter had become sensitive and was attracting international attention, cautioning that continued harassment or re-arrest of the family could escalate the situation.
In a dramatic appeal, he said, “Personally, I volunteer to be arrested, detained, imprisoned, or punished on behalf of Obiageli and her family. Let me know the day I am needed at your station to fulfil the conditions.”
He urged the police leadership, “Prevail on your officer so that he does the lawful thing. Call the accusers and petitioners to order for misleading and misinforming the police.”
Providing further context, Igwe alleged that Vivian and Hillary Ottih, siblings of Obiageli’s husband, Joseph Ottih, attempted to incite the community against Joseph, his wife and children, by branding them practitioners of “Agbara.”
“They were the ones who brought vigilantes into the matter,” Igwe alleged. “For such an intrusion to occur, it must have been facilitated by insiders.”
He questioned: “How can objects such as a piece of wood or a dead chicken, items without life, be said to disrupt peace in the community?”
Igwe maintained that the dispute was rooted in superstition and illegality, stressing that under the law, allegations must be supported with proof.
“Based on false accusations, Joseph’s compound was invaded,” he said. “When the family resisted, the accusers escalated matters by involving the police and vigilantes, further victimising the family.”
He recounted that Joseph’s house was vandalised, with doors and windows broken, property destroyed, and farm crops ruined, leaving Joseph, his wife, and their 10 children homeless.
“The question remains: who did this, and for what purpose?” he asked.
Igwe also raised concerns over Obiageli’s arrest and detention, stating that she was reportedly held for five days and released on bail after allegedly paying ₦150,000.
“At the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, otherwise known as Tiger Base, we learned that a petition had been filed against Obiageli for attempted murder,” Igwe said. “But how can such a charge be proven?”
He explained that a fracas broke out when Joseph’s compound was invaded and that Joseph, who is blind, along with his wife and children, merely resisted the intruders.
“The police are attempting to frame the matter as attempted murder, ignoring the context and provocation that led to the confrontation,” Igwe alleged.
He criticised what he described as the enforcement of tradition by police officers, saying it contradicted their constitutional role.
“Police officers are not enforcers of tradition; they are enforcers of the law,” he said.
Igwe warned that similar incidents had occurred elsewhere, describing the trend as dangerous and unacceptable, and expressed hope that the Imo State Police Command would resolve the matter in line with the law and respect for fundamental human rights.
Presenting her version of events, Vivian said her eldest brother, Joseph, who is blind, is married to Obiageli. She described Obiageli as troublesome and said she was only tolerated by villagers because of their affection for Joseph.
Vivian accused Igwe of spreading false narratives and explained that tensions escalated after villagers protested against Obiageli and her children for allegedly bringing a deity (Agbara) into the community.
She said the arrest of Obiageli had nothing to do with the deity but was related to attempted murder.
According to her, on December 28, 2025, villagers rose against what they described as a deity kept in the compound of Vivian’s late father, Mr Ottih.
She said she and her brother, Hillary, do not live in the village and were shocked by the allegations.
Vivian explained that since her eldest brother, Joseph, had not built his own house, he and his family lived in their late father’s compound, where the deity was allegedly kept and worshipped.
She claimed that when local vigilantes and police attempted to remove the deity following community demands, Obiageli and her children resisted and allegedly attacked police officers.
“When police finally removed the Agbara, as they were driving away, their vehicle somersaulted after driving some seconds away from the scene,” she said. “I was shocked, so also some villagers. People said some rituals were required before it could be removed.”
Vivian said the deity was eventually removed after the rituals were performed, by which time Obiageli and her children had gone into hiding.
She further alleged that Obiageli and her children claimed the Agbara gave them money, which the children allegedly used for internet fraud.
She said the deity was kept close to her brother, Hillary’s wall and covered with blocks, making it difficult to detect.
Vivian disclosed that before the Agbara incident, villagers had complained about Obiageli, prompting her to visit the village to resolve the conflict.
She alleged that in one incident, Obiageli placed a machete to an elderly woman’s neck and threatened to kill her, leading to Joseph’s excommunication by villagers.
Vivian said that when Hillary learned that the Agbara was allegedly brought into the compound for financial gain, he offered Joseph ₦1 million, but Joseph declined.
She further narrated that on December 29, Obiageli and her children returned to the community “in a war mood.”
“When Obiageli saw my daughter, Chineye, without any provocation, she grabbed a pestle and slammed it on her head,” Vivian said. “My daughter passed out immediately.”
She added that Obiageli and her children fled, believing Chineye was dead. Chineye was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre emergency unit but was later transferred to Save Life Hospital due to overcrowding.
She said Chineye was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and, for two days, could not raise her head.
On December 31, Vivian petitioned the Imo State Police Command over the attack on her daughter.
Obiageli was reportedly apprehended by angry members of the community and handed over to the police on allegations of attempted murder.
Vivian said, “What she did was a sacrilege. The Agbara issue was a community problem and had nothing to do with me. But the attack on my daughter was my concern. Even if it takes my life, I must get justice for my daughter.”
Reacting to allegations that the police extorted ₦150,000 from Obiageli for her bail, Vivian dismissed the claim as false.
She explained that the police contacted her after Obiageli began experiencing menstrual pains.
According to her, she signed the bail documents and took Obiageli home, after which another date was fixed for further investigation.
“I took her on bail; the police did not collect any money. It was Elizabeth who extorted ₦150,000 from them and later claimed she gave it to the police. Elizabeth is my sister-in-law by marriage. We lived together in the safe house, and she is not a lawyer,” Vivian said.
The Eagle Online also sought the police perspective on the matter by reaching out to the Imo State Police spokesperson, Mr Henry Okoye.
Messages were sent via WhatsApp and SMS, and phone calls were also placed, but he did not respond through any of these channels.
However, WhatsApp delivery records indicated that he had seen the message.
