By EMMA AMAIZE & SIMON EBEGBULEM
BENIN CITY- THE  Esogban of Benin Kingdom in Edo State, Chief David Edebiri, who oversees the operations of witches and wizards, among other traditional functions, has shockingly revealed the method witches, who kill people and stall development in the ancient empire are disabled.

Edebiri, one of the leading chiefs in the palace of Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa, Oba of Benin and Chairman of Benin Forum, the umbrella body of all Binis in the country and Diaspora, said witches were either killed or sent to the evil forest in the past, but nowadays, the erring ones were court-martialed and deactivated to live a new life.

Chief David Edebiri, the ‘Departmental Head’ of Bini witches /wizards

He confessed to Niger Delta Voice that he is the “departmental head” of witches and wizards in the monarchy, but denied being a witch himself.

Power of witches

Chief Edebiri disclosed  that unknown to many, witches run government and once they make decision, it is binding all over without the people knowing how.

The Bini chief, who recalled that witches were very vicious before now in the kingdom, said a traditional parliamentary action was endorsed  by “our great, great grandfathers” to put together a group, which he (Edebiri)  is presently the leader, to tame their excesses.

Deactivation of witches

He said: “What I am doing as the Esogban is a social service to the community. It was enacted by our great, great grandfathers. When you hear of witch-hunt in England, France, if anybody is suspected to be a witch, the person will be burnt alive and destroyed, similar things were happening here, but the elders now said no, instead of killing these people or sending them to the evil forest, why not look for a way to reform them and bring them back to the society.”

Higher power

“I think that was why this structure was put up. It was a legislative action for social development of the people.  When these people come here, because of predominant superior power, they confess that they are witches or wizards and confess all the destructions that they have been involved in,” Edebiri asserted.

His words, “Then we look for a way to discipline them. You cannot remove them from being a witch or wizard, but after coming here they can be disabled from committing havoc or using the power for any dangerous thing.”

“So when these people were brought like that and they were disabled, they will be taken back to the society and no one will call them wizards again. First, their coven will not admit them anymore, secondly that power has been completely taken away from them,” he added.

How I acquired my power

Asked where he acquired the authority he uses to tame suspected witches and wizards, Chief Edebiri, “Ah, it is the power of God Almighty and that of the Oba of Benin (laughter). We have averted much havoc that these people would have caused in Benin Kingdom.”

Typical witches’ attack

“I remember in the year 2,000 my encounter with a woman, who was a wife to my school mate. They call came here (his palace, where witches stand trial as the case may be), this woman was a leader of a church in Benin, she was married to one Ighodaro, she took a helper to the coven and told the girl to go and get money from Ighodaro. She took that money to the coven.

“Ighodaro started falling, he sold all the vehicles he had, the man did not know what was happening and this same girl was still in the house with them. The children will bring money from abroad to assist; he will not know how the money vanished. Until the situation was exposed and this girl started confessing that she was responsible for all the misfortune of her master. They were brought here,” he said.

Orthodox trial

“When they came here, the girl confessed that mama is the head of the witches in that area, she said mama is an expert in drawing people’s money to her own.

“When the woman wanted to deny, the girl said daddy please ask mama where does she trade in Benin, which market, that she has six buildings in Benin City here where she collects rents, what sort of business does she do to get those property. The man kept quiet,” Edebiri disclosed.

He continued: “Then I asked the woman that this girl said you are a witch, is she denying.  Again, I asked the girl if she reported the matter to their church leader, she said even their pastor in the church is a member. And mama finances the operation of the church and the pastor was a member, but he was later transferred.”

Death of obstinate Mrs. Ighodaro

“I asked the woman to tell me the truth and that she should not take it for a joke, they went through the process before the second month, the woman was doing something in her house, she fell down and took ill but because she had money, they took her abroad for treatment.

“She spent some time there but the doctors said they did not see anything wrong with her. They brought her back, the husband, Mr Ighodaro was always coming to tell me the latest, and after some time, the woman died. Ighodaro now came for thanks giving.

“He brought kolanut; I told him he does not have to thank me. The woman denied she was not a witch, but I know she was and she paid the price. That is a typical example, since then Ighodaro started making money again,” he added.

Police ASP vs occult parents

“Another example again was that of an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, who worked in the office of the former governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion at Government House, Benin City then. He brought his father and mother here from Orogho in Orhiomwon Local Government Area. The man just lost his graduate son under mischievous circumstance.

“So the confession started and it now became clear that his mother and father killed his son. The policeman cried that despite all his efforts in life, he could not account for any achievement in life. He asked his father if he was sure he is not a wizard, mama what of you, she denied also. They went through the process, exactly one month and some days, I was sitting here and saw somebody carrying bottles of and other items.

“He knelt down and started thanking me but I did not recognize him. So he explained he was the ASP that came with his parents last time, so I said what is the matter now,  he said he came to inform me that his mother is dead. Then his father in the village wanted to cross from one road to the other, a vehicle killed him, the two of them were lying in the mortuary.

“I asked him why he brought the items to me when he just lost his parents; he said that the breeze that is now coming to his body is the genuine breeze. You can see the irony of life, so things like these happen, that is part of getting the society in proper shape.

‘Departmental Head’

“They died because they denied, if they did not deny we know what to do and they will remain alive. Some will come here and agree that they belong but that they will change; we know how to take them through the process. It is a social work that we are doing. But I am just a departmental head. You should know that the head of the Federal Ministry of Health is not necessarily a doctor. I do not need to be a member, if I was a member, I will not be able to do what I am doing now. Secondly, their grade is too junior, if I were to be a member I cannot be in their grade. This thing has grade.

Most dangerous witches

“The dangerous ones are the lowest, they never think of anything good. All they do is evil. But there is the upper class; those are the people running the government. They run the government all of us are. And once they make decision in that area, it is binding all over. They think of how the society will grow,” he said.

Witches fear Jesus Christ

Chief Edebiri added: “I tell you that most of them do not succeed anywhere Jesus is mentioned. And I asked them, do you mean that you people fear the awesome power of Jesus Christ, they said yes.”

“And these people (witches) are either church singers or something in the church, I asked them further, if you say that you fear the power of Jesus, how do you feel when the pastor is condemning you people in the name of Jesus, they said they will be condemning the pastor too.

“But I can tell that so many of them have been converted to Christianity after passing through this place. The elders, who made this possible were very wise people, otherwise, what we should have been seeing today is burning and killing people, who are witches and that would have brought the society to another catastrophe,” he asserted.