An elderly woman named Kehinde Ojo was tragically lynched by a mob on Tuesday in the Oke-Ijeun area of Abeokuta, Ogun State, following accusations of witchcraft. The incident, captured in viral social media videos, showed Ojo lying weak and unable to speak in a pit.
Reports indicate that a prophetess from a local white garment church raised an alarm, claiming Ojo had transformed from a bird into a human and fallen onto the church’s roof during prayers. The prophetess, whose identity remains unknown, along with other community members, was seen interrogating the elderly woman in the videos.
The Ogun State Police Command intervened, rescuing Ojo and taking her to a hospital for treatment. However, a police source revealed that she succumbed to her injuries on Thursday at the state general hospital.
Kabir Kehinde, one of the deceased’s children, accused the prophetess and her son of fatally beating his mother. He explained that his mother, who had vision problems, had lost her way while visiting his brother, who lives behind the church, on Monday evening. She was then allegedly attacked by the prophetess.
“My mother was not a witch. She was falsely accused and beaten to death by the prophetess. She had gone to visit my brother on Monday evening but got lost due to her poor eyesight. The prophetess and others beat her from Monday evening until Tuesday morning, demanding she confess to being a witch. Despite her pleas of innocence, they continued to assault her,” Kehinde recounted.
He added that his mother was still bleeding from her injuries even on the day of her burial. The family has reported the incident to the police, and the prophetess has been arrested.