In the photo is Varney Beweh, the alleged witchcraft next to his brother who he has given three days and residents whom he also accused of being a witch along with him.
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
FISH TOWN, RIVER GEE, Liberia- A “prayer mother” in Rock Crusher, District #2, RiverGee County is said to have conducted trial by ordeal to residents of this community based on alleged witchcraft confession from a 17-years-old boy identified as Varney Beweh.
This area is situated over 517 kilometers southeast of Monrovia.
Trial by ordeal or “Sassywood” was outlawed in Liberia many years ago, but it is still being practiced unabated in some parts of the country.
The prayer mother’s trial by ordeal came in the wake of the confession by the minor alleged alleging that people living in the Rock Crusher community are witches. She is identified as Mamie Dennis.
The accuser, Varney Beweh said he joined the witchcraft activity in 2017, when a woman only identified as Oretha gave him palmbutter soup to eat.
After eating the food, he claimed that Oretha was performing rituals and calling his name in their witchcraft world and invoking spirit on him.
Following his the confession of the 17-year-old boy in the community accusing everyone living in the community, residents went to the prayer mother for her intervention.
But she told them that she could take it to God in prayer, fasting for three days after which she invited the entire community to her prayer ground, where she instructed them to bring their own water.
After the residents took the water to her, she prayed over it and told them to drink it but before drinking it they should talk to the water. According to her, if they are innocent then, the water won’t do anything to them. But if they are involved, the water should kill them.
The alleged witchcraft Varney Beweh had confessed that ‘he hid his father’s luck’ and has planned to kill two of his brothers as per instruction from their witch bosses.
Before the trial by ordeal was offered by the prayer mother, the alleged witchcraft, Varney Beweh’s parents went to attend seven days of fasting and praying in another charismatic church. There, his parents were told to carry their children to the church, something they did.
But when they got to the church, he (Varney Beweh) was pointed out among the children as being the one bewitching his parents through their spirit world, something he admitted to and began his confession.
There is a local belief that the teenager, Varney Beweh has allegedly killed his big brother through cookies given to him from witches and has again threatened to kill two persons within three days.
However, residents of this Rock Crusher community have accused Oretha of always initiating their children into witchcraft activities through corrupted food, allegedly causing them to have sleepless nights, with bat and cat hovering around the house.
The police has immediately turn the matter over to Ministry of Internal Affairs for further traditional investigation.