Metro

Malawian albinos cry out over incessant attacks, ritual killings

Published

1 year ago

July 7, 2023

People living with albinism in Malawi have cried out over the incessant attacks and killings they face in the country due to the perception that their body parts can be used for money-making rituals.

The cry came from the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) which appealed to the government for “urgent intervention to stop continued attacks on people with albinism in the country.”

The group made the plea during a press conference on Friday following the alleged tampering of a grave last month in Blantyre in the southern part of the country where the body of a late albino was exhumed and the arms and legs cut off.

The president of the group, Young Mahamba, who spoke with journalists at a press parley, said the incident was the seventh of such this year alone.

“We also had three tampering with graves and another two attacks on the 9th of last month, June 9,” Mahamba said.

“And also, in Phalombe, a district in the southern region of Malawi, there was the tampering of graves. This one was discovered on 20th March without limbs as was this one,” Mahamba added.

While reeling out several cases of attacks on albinos in the country, Mahamba said since 2014, more than 170 albinos had been killed or attacked in Malawi because of false beliefs that concoctions mixed with their body parts bring luck and wealth.

“In the past, religious leaders, police, herbalists and relatives of the deceased have been named and arrested in connection to the attacks and body exhumations.

“Last June, a high court in Blantyre sentenced a police officer, a Catholic priest and four others to 30 years imprisonment with hard labor after finding them guilty of transacting human remains of a person with albinism,” he said.

The APAM President called on authorities to embark on a collaborative effort to tackle the issues headlong.

“We just hear of projects concerning welfare of people with albinism, but we do not see them on the ground.

“The international organizations should come forward and assist. They should not wait for the issue to come out of hand and to be hearing three or four cases per day, no.

“If you ask each and every person with albinism here in Malawi, they will tell you that this issue hasn’t stopped, and we don’t have peace. So, there is no time to relax, to hold the breaks in terms of our security,” Mahamba said.

Related Topics:albinism Attacks Featured Malawi Ritual Killings

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Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

4 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.

Metro

Zambia: President Hichilema urges traditional leaders to invoke rainmaking powers amid drought

Published

21 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Zambian President, Hakainde Hichilema, has called on traditional leaders to call upon their rainmaking powers by praying for rain as the nation continues to face the menace of drought.

Hichilema, who made the plea while speaking during the Shikaumpa traditional ceremony of the Ila people in Namwala on Sunday, expressed hope for divine intervention and sufficient rains.

“We pray that this year, God will give us rains, sufficient rains, so we can grow more food, so we can take care of the things, the assets that we keep,” the President stated.

He noted that he was informed of certain chiefs known for their rainmaking abilities, including Senior Chief Mwamba of Northern Province, Chief Sailunga of North-Western Province and Mwami Monze from the Southern Province and urged them to use their powers to invoke rain, adding that the chiefs should continue their prayers for rain, believing that “God will hear our cry.”

The President also encouraged not only the chiefs but also the churches and the entire nation to join in prayers for rain.

“All of us, the churches, everybody, we must pray for rains so that we can take care of God’s people properly,” he said.

The head of state further urged farmers to intensify efforts at planting crops and maximizing their harvest for national food security once the rain comes.

The drought in Zambia in recent
seasons have left 84 districts severely impacted, leading to food shortages and a worsening electricity deficit due to low water levels.