The Zamfara State Hisbah Commission has detained a woman called Khadija Abdullah in Gusau’s Gadar Baga region on charges of witchcraft.
According to a statement published on Tuesday by the commission’s Public Relations Officer, Umar Haruna Tsafe, the arrest came after community leaders accused the suspect of carrying out claimed spiritual rituals at her home, prompting agents to conduct a raid.
The commission’s Director of Operations, Lawal Abubakar Maradun, stated that during interrogation, the suspect acknowledged to using particular scents and claiming to be possessed by spirits, following which she would recite prayers into water and provide it to individuals as a sort of treatment.
The commission also said another woman, named as Asiya Lawal, who was found at the residence, told officials she had attended the house seeking therapy for what she characterised as a spiritual ailment.
A resident of the region was described by the committee as noting that the residence had become a popular location for persons seeking traditional or spiritual remedies both during the day and at night.
The Chairman of the Zamfara State Hisbah Commission, Sheikh Umar Hassan Gusau, directed that investigations be intensified to ascertain the authenticity of the claims and guarantee that necessary action is taken.