An 85-year-old woman in Zamfara State has reportedly been subjected to a brutal attack after she was accused of witchcraft while visiting a woman who had recently given birth.
The incident was brought to public attention by the Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW), which condemned the treatment of the elderly woman and called for government intervention and justice for the victim.

According to AfAW Director, Leo Igwe, the National Human Rights Commission office in Zamfara shared an audio recording of the incident with the organisation on August 18, 2026. The recording, which was narrated in Hausa and later translated, reportedly detailed the abuse suffered by the woman.
Igwe said the elderly woman had gone to visit a woman who had recently given birth to exchange pleasantries. During the visit, the new mother allegedly accused the 85-year-old of being responsible for the baby’s condition and labelled her a witch.
The elderly woman reportedly denied the accusation, but the situation allegedly escalated after a mob gathered around her.

The group reportedly pelted her with stones and beat her with pestles and sticks, leaving her with serious injuries to her head and hand. She was also allegedly dragged along the ground, pushed into a toilet and struck with a toilet seat during the attack.
The attackers reportedly threatened to kill her if anything happened to the newborn.

The woman was also allegedly stripped naked and subjected to a degrading ordeal in an attempt to establish whether she was a witch. She was reportedly ordered to step over the newborn several times as a supposed test of her innocence and was later forced to perform the same act involving the baby’s mother.
Despite denying the accusation, the elderly woman reportedly complied after being threatened and beaten.

Following the attack, she was taken to a hospital where she received medical treatment before she was discharged. However, according to AfAW, the alleged harassment and accusations did not end after she left the hospital.
The advocacy organisation further stated that the victim was able to identify some of those who allegedly participated in the attack, including people she had known for years and members of her family.

AfAW said it attempted to obtain further information from the National Human Rights Commission and explore ways of providing legal and humanitarian assistance to the woman. However, the organisation said members of the victim’s family were reluctant to allow the case to receive publicity and had reportedly obstructed efforts to assist her.
Igwe condemned the incident, stressing that an accusation of witchcraft should never be used as justification for physical violence or degrading treatment.

The case has renewed concerns about the dangers faced by people, particularly elderly women, who become targets of witchcraft allegations in some Nigerian communities. Such accusations can expose victims to mob attacks, social isolation and other forms of abuse without any established evidence that the alleged supernatural claims are true.

AfAW has called on the Zamfara State Government and relevant law-enforcement authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack, protect the victim and ensure that anyone found responsible is held accountable.
The organisation also urged authorities to take stronger measures against violence arising from witchcraft accusations and to protect vulnerable members of communities from mob justice and other forms of abuse.

The reported attack remains an allegation, and the claims made against the elderly woman have not been established as fact. What is clear from the accounts released by the advocacy organisation is that the woman was reportedly subjected to serious physical and degrading treatment over an accusation that she denied.