The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) South-East zone, has
urged the Enugu State government to investigate case of
Human Rights abuses of a man, Mr. Matthew Ossai, from Imufu Enugu-Ezike in the local council, who was forced to drink the water used to bath a corpse in other to prove his innocence over the death of a man, Mr. Fidelis Attah he was alleged to have killed throughJuju
superstitious means. It condemned the action of Eze
Remigus Attah, the traditional ruler of the community and elder brother
of the deceased, who allegedly masterminded the despicable act by encroaching his rights and subjecting him to great humiliation and
torture.
Abhorring the practice, the CLO urged “the state government and the local government authority in this area to urgently look into the case of Mr. Matthew Ossai with a view at ensuring that justice is done in respect of this matter as the circumstances of the case demand.”
In the statement titled, “Nigerian Human Rights Update: Urgent Need to Curb Obnoxious Practices in Our Society,” the CLO said “the forcing of Mr. Ossai to drink the water used to bath a deceased in order to prove his innocence,” was not only “barbaric but an inhuman act.”
According to the victim Mr. Ossai, he said that Fidelis Attah who is of the same Umu-Onu-Oyina extended family of Imufu Community (with him) died of liver problem after a protracted illness. He said, ''the deceased died at the hospital and the day the corpse was brought back home, sympathisers were trooping to the house of the deceased to sympathise with the family of the deceased.
“He decided to join other sympathisers and he went to the deceased’s house to condole the family, but to his greatest surprise, when he entered the deceased’s compound and the deceased’s elder brother Remigus Attah, the Eze (traditional ruler) of Imufu Community directed the youths to seize him.
“Eze Remigus Attah alleged that Ossai used supernatural powers to cause the death of his younger brother.
“Ossai’s movement was restricted and Eze Remigus and his cohorts stated that the only way Ossai could prove his innocence was that the legs, the hands and the mouth of the deceased will be washed with water and he will drink the water; and if he did not die after seven native weeks (one month), then it will be assumed that he is innocent of Fidelis Attah’s death. Afterwards, Mr. Ossai was forced with beating to drink the 'dead' water.
It is now very well over seven native weeks that Ossai was subjected to this inhuman and degrading treatment and he is still living peacefully but the stigma still follows him everywhere he goes in the community.
This action ofIdiot Eze Remigus is
barbarity at the extreme, it is condemnable and he must be brought to Government book!
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Human Rights abuses of a man, Mr. Matthew Ossai, from Imufu Enugu-Ezike in the local council, who was forced to drink the water used to bath a corpse in other to prove his innocence over the death of a man, Mr. Fidelis Attah he was alleged to have killed through
Abhorring the practice, the CLO urged “the state government and the local government authority in this area to urgently look into the case of Mr. Matthew Ossai with a view at ensuring that justice is done in respect of this matter as the circumstances of the case demand.”
In the statement titled, “Nigerian Human Rights Update: Urgent Need to Curb Obnoxious Practices in Our Society,” the CLO said “the forcing of Mr. Ossai to drink the water used to bath a deceased in order to prove his innocence,” was not only “barbaric but an inhuman act.”
According to the victim Mr. Ossai, he said that Fidelis Attah who is of the same Umu-Onu-Oyina extended family of Imufu Community (with him) died of liver problem after a protracted illness. He said, ''the deceased died at the hospital and the day the corpse was brought back home, sympathisers were trooping to the house of the deceased to sympathise with the family of the deceased.
“He decided to join other sympathisers and he went to the deceased’s house to condole the family, but to his greatest surprise, when he entered the deceased’s compound and the deceased’s elder brother Remigus Attah, the Eze (traditional ruler) of Imufu Community directed the youths to seize him.
“Eze Remigus Attah alleged that Ossai used supernatural powers to cause the death of his younger brother.
“Ossai’s movement was restricted and Eze Remigus and his cohorts stated that the only way Ossai could prove his innocence was that the legs, the hands and the mouth of the deceased will be washed with water and he will drink the water; and if he did not die after seven native weeks (one month), then it will be assumed that he is innocent of Fidelis Attah’s death. Afterwards, Mr. Ossai was forced with beating to drink the 'dead' water.
It is now very well over seven native weeks that Ossai was subjected to this inhuman and degrading treatment and he is still living peacefully but the stigma still follows him everywhere he goes in the community.
This action of
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Urrggggghhhhh! ((((spuke))) Very disgusting and poisonous act from this good for nothing local chief. God punish him there!
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