Save Me From Juju Judgment – Rivers Man Beg Police after Chief Priest Found him guilty of Stealing

A man identified as Justice Ejechi is seeking the intervention of police in the case of his alleged summon and trial before a diety, and illegal search of his house by a vigilante group.

Ejechi is alleged to have broken into a house and stolen some valuables and was summoned before a vigilante group in the area where the incident happened.

It was learnt that the local security groups in their modus operandi had asked Ejechi to swear to an oath if he was not responsible for the theft, but Ejechi had objected to the move.

However, the suspect had instead involved the police, noting that it was out of place for the group to force him to take oath in an incident he did not know of.

Ejechi revealed that a native doctor consulted by the vigilante group had already claimed that he was responsible for the theft, but insisted that he was innocent.

Ejechi said: “On the 21st of July, 2024, I woke up to fetch water, I heard that Diobu Vigilante came to look for me, I went to their office to find out what they were looking for.

“My neighbour said I came to his house to rob him. I said to rob you how? The leader of the Diobu Vigilante now mandated a search of my house. They came to my house to search, at the end of the day they did not see anything.

“He still mandated me to go to one of their barrack to swear Juju, the native Doctor said I am the one who is responsible. I said how? We came back.

“After two days we traveled to my sister’s house. As I was there, they called me that Diobu vigilante came to search my house when I am not around forced my door open, destroyed my door with arms for no reason.

“I have to go immediately to mile 3 Police station and report the matter, the DPO now called them, let them come the two parties. Since then, they have been running.

“They don’t want to come to the station. Now, we booked for a meeting, we are supposed to meet with Nkpolu DPO today. This morning by 11am they went to Octopus to arrest me.ThankGod for the IPO incharge, he was very fair, he said since the matter is already reported at Nkpolu, he said let them go there and settle the matter. So he let me to go.

“I am calling on the Commissioner of Police to come to my rescue. Since this matter has being lingering after that oath they gave to me, which I don’t know, I have being feeling so many things. I cannot sleep.”

Meantime, a Port Harcourt based lawyer, Joel Victor, said trial by ordeal (Juju trial) is an offence which attracts 10 years imprisonment upon conviction.

“Mr Victor said a situation whereby people are being tried by ordeal is what the law frowns at. A situation where some body is suspected of committing offence rather than taking the person (suspect) in this case to security agency that are charged with responsibility of investigating crime the person is now taken to one Juju priest or a place where he is being told to take an oath just to confirm if he did that thing or not.

“The law prohibits that if you take a close look at relevant section of 207 to 213 of the criminal code the Law frowns at it and it carries a jail term of not less than 10 years if such person is being convicted.

“Somebody cannot be arrested on mere suspicion there must be a reasonable suspicion”