By Biodun Busari

The Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) has said that a teenage boy identified as Marvellous who was labelled as a witch in Mbiama Community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State needs a proper medical checkup.

According to AfAW, the Marvellous’ confessions were possibly caused by trauma, assault or other psychological and mental health challenges.

While recounting the teenage boy’s reported confession of being a witch in a statement by its Director, Dr Leo Igwe, the group explained that its advocate exposed this after seeing a Facebook post on an alleged witch boy in Rivers State.

The post tagged, “I Am A Witch: I Have Killed Many People- Alleged Little Witch Confesses in Rivers State”.

The post further revealed, “My mission today is to walk through Mbiama Community. I am a witch and I have killed many here in Mbiama. I am tired of the nightlife and the darkness”.

According to the post, the boy was, “Allegedly seen flying to settle down about 2 am yesterday.”

In contrast, there was no image of the boy flying, instead, the post had photos of the boy walking on the street.

The post noted that the child identified as Marvelous confessed at Mbiama Town Hall in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State. During his confession, he said he would take the paramount ruler and the general public around the houses of the people he had killed.

The AfAW called the attention of the police, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to the incident.

But nobody could ascertain the child’s whereabouts. The AfAW dispatched one of its advocates in Rivers State to the community to trace and ascertain the situation of the boy.

According to the advocate, “The journey took about 3 hours from Port Harcourt to Mbiama community which is in the boundary of Rivers and Bayelsa states”.

When the advocate arrived at the Mbiama community, an ethnic clan of the Ijaw, he tried talking to some people but they were suspicious and could not tell him what happened.

He said the boy was rescued by the traditional ruler in the community, as the statement read, “But in his wisdom, the traditional ruler didn’t allow any harm to come to the boy because he felt pity for him.

“He was of the view that it was not his fault but the father’s because the father initiated the child into the witchcraft world. The traditional ruler decided to let the boy go, instructing the guardian to take the boy out of the Mbiama community for his safety.”

The boy, whose father lives in Calabar, Cross River state, has been reportedly abused by his guardian which has led to his trauma, AfAw said.

The group, then, concluded, “This boy is not a witch but a victim of a broken childcare system. His confessions are likely rooted in trauma, abuse or other psychological and mental health challenges.

“The AfAW will try and confirm the fate of the boy in the coming days and weeks. This boy needs to undergo a proper medical check-up.”