Christian crusade turns violent as woman accused of witchcraft is assaulted

On the night of 13 March, a crowd gathered at a crusade in Onyadama community, Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State, in southern Nigeria.

What happened next, according to videos and witness reports obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, was a brutal mob attack.

The victim was Grace Ekoi, a woman believed to be in her 50s. She survived the assault, but someone else reportedly died.

Weeks later, no one has been arrested for the attack. There is no sign that any thorough investigation has started.

Night of violence

Footage reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES shows at least eight people taking turns to flog a woman with long sticks.

As the beating grew worse, the woman tried to escape into the crowd. More men, women, and children joined in the attack.

A man's voice was heard on the microphone singing while the crowd kept clapping.

At one point, the woman broke free and ran towards the road. People shouted in Pidgin English, “She don run o.” She was chased down, caught, and beaten until she lay still.

A man then approached with a bottle of what looked like olive oil, used by many Pentecostal pastors for “anointing” and “deliverance.” He briefly stopped the beating, poured the oil on her, and told them to lift her up. Soon after, the beating began again.

‘They called me a witch’

Ms Ekoi later said in an interview that she went to the crusade seeking healing for her 14-month-old child, who could not walk.

“We went for the crusade from Tuesday to Friday,” she said. “As I was breastfeeding my baby, they called me, ‘Come, come.’”

A church worker took her baby and handed the infant to another child.

“They said, ‘Stand here, witch!’ I said, ‘Witch how? I am not a witch. I thought you called me to pray for my baby.’”

She said the pastor leading the crusade ordered the attack.

“That crusade pastor said, ‘Beat her.’ Many people beat me with sticks. I kept shouting that I was not a witch.

“They used their feet to march me. He held the microphone and ordered that I should be beaten.”

Her hands were tied behind her back.

“It was a mass beating. All they kept saying was that I was a witch and that they would kill me.”

In her desperation, she swore an oath: if she was a witch, she should not see the next day.

Pattern of humiliation, assault

Investigations by PREMIUM TIMES found that the crusade was organized by Usetu Bassey, who runs a group called Kabod International Church.

A look at his social media shows he holds frequent night crusades in northern Cross River, especially in Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area.

Photos on his Facebook page from the last three years show women lying on the ground during services, while young men hold sticks nearby. In a post from 10 December 2024, at least seven women were seen lying on the ground while others looked on. Another post from 2 April 2023 showed a woman lying on the floor, appearing unconscious during a crusade.

When confronted, Mr Bassey avoided answering questions from PREMIUM TIMES.

He claimed community leaders were present at the crusade in Onyadama.

“I did a five-day crusade at Onyadama with the chief/clan head and other leaders present. Do you think I will just go to a community and ask them to beat their own?”

He did not respond to claims that he incited the violence against the woman.

Silence from community leaders

Onyadama is primarily a farming community. Most people rely on yam and cassava farming, and sand and gravel extraction for their livelihoods.

The community is known for its ongoing land and boundary disputes with the neighboring Nko community in Yakurr Local Government Area. Over time, this conflict has led to violence, government interventions, and several failed peace attempts.

Onyadama is also part of Cross River’s political history. From 2011 to 2015, it was represented by Moses Onor, who was the majority leader of the Cross River State House of Assembly.

Onyadama is in Obubra Local Government Area, with an estimated population of about 262,800 people. It also hosts the permanent National Youth Service Corps orientation camp for Cross River State, bringing thousands of corps members to the area yearly.

The village head of Onyadama, Enang Erim, did not comment when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES. He said he could only speak with permission from the clan head.

Vincent Erena, the clan head, did not respond to calls from our reporter.

In a formal media enquiry, PREMIUM TIMES asked if the community supported the crusade and the labeling of some community members as witches, whether leaders were present during the assault, and why no one intervened.

Mr Erena had not responded at the time of this report.

Police response raises questions

On 18 March, the police in Cross River told PREMIUM TIMES they had begun looking into the matter.

“The DPO visited Onyadama community to check on a reported brutal murder during a crusade,” police spokesman Eitokpah Sunday said.

He added that the community chief denied knowing about the incident.

Weeks later, there has been no arrest or public updates on the investigation.

PREMIUM TIMES sent an enquiry on 26 March to the police for updates on actions taken in the case. A reminder on 6 April got a response.

Mr Sunday, an assistant superintendent of police, said Ms Ekoi was attacked based on a church prophecy calling her a witch. He said she received treatment and was later moved to another facility in Calabar.

But the police did not answer key questions, including whether any suspects had been named or identified.

Pattern of witchcraft branding, abuse in Cross River

Rights advocates say this incident shows a bigger problem in the state.

“This is just one of the cases that has come to light,” said James Ibor, principal counsel at the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative and a member of Advocacy for Alleged Witches.

“There are many that never get reported. It has been about a month since this happened and not one arrest.”

He blamed the attacks on people accused of witchcraft on a mixture of poverty, weak institutions, and what he describes as “religious profiteering.”

“The religious merchants constantly serve fear to keep their grip on vulnerable people,” he said.

Mr Ibor said his organization has filed a petition to the police, but they have yet to respond.

He mentioned other similar cases in Cross River that have not been settled. He spoke of a woman in Akamkpa Local Government Area whose relative threatened to kill her after labeling her a witch. She later went missing.

He mentioned another woman in Akamkpa who was burned to death in broad daylight over witchcraft accusations led by a religious leader, and no one has been prosecuted.

“We have written to the police but they have done nothing,” he said.

Religious events that label and attack people accused of witchcraft are not unique to Cross River. PREMIUM TIMES had reported how a group asked the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Services to stop a pastor from holding an “anti-witch” program in Imo State called “that witch must die.”

What the law says

Nigeria’s Criminal Code clearly outlaws trial by ordeal and violence related to witchcraft.

Section 208 states that anyone who leads or oversees an unlawful trial by ordeal resulting in death could face capital punishment. Section 209 prescribes jail time for those present.

Mr Ibor, a lawyer, says the events in Onyadama, where a public accusation led to collective punishment, fall under these laws.

No justice, yet

For Ms Ekoi, survival came at a cost.

After the beating, she said some youths took her home and then to a hospital. Unable to afford ongoing treatment, her family had to care for her at home.

Her child cried throughout the ordeal, she said.

As of 11 June, no confirmed arrests or prosecutions of suspects have happened. Authorities have not publicly acknowledged any death linked to the incident, despite reports from community sources.

Questions remain about responsibility, belief, and the heavy price of silence.

In Onyadama, a night that started with prayers has left many afraid of the consequences of being called a witch by a religious leader. Victims are still waiting for justice.