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BBC Pidgin of Monday, 4 September 2023

Source: BBC

Police make arrests as tori of ‘witches wey dey suck blood’create fear for Kano, oda states

Police say dem still dey look for pipo wey dey spread di rumour Police say dem still dey look for pipo wey dey spread di rumour

Kano Police Command announce say dem don arrest some pipo for di state wey almost lynch some visitors for dia area afta dem suspect say dem be witches wey come ‘suck blood’.

Na last week one fake rumour begin spread across many states for northern Nigeria wey tok say some strange women dey visit houses beg for water to drink before sucking di blood of di occupants.

Di rumour wey start like play play begin gada momentum by weekend and tins get worse afta some pipo for Kano begin tok say di women, over 100 of dem don enta di state from neighbouring Katsina state.

Tok-tok pesin for Kano Police SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa for statement tok say dem don arrest a total of eight pipo across di state for spreading di rumour afta e almost lead to di lynching of some pesins.

“Di rumour wey say some pipo don enta Kano and dey move from house to house dey suck blood of dia victims na fake and dis don create fear and panic among pipo.”

“Dis rumour lead to di almost lynching of some pipo for Kwana Hudu, Hotoro and Zango areas wey make our officers to act fast thereby arresting eight suspects.”

Police say di incident for Kwana Hudu na some pipo just come one house wia dem beg to charge dia phones and one of dem beg to use di toilet and na from dia di housewife begin shout say ‘witches’ wey make pipo enta to try to lynch di visitors.

Police say dem still dey look to arrest more pipo wey dey spread di rumour and dey cause fear and panic for pipo mind.

Dem also warn pipo to stop taking laws into dia hands.

'Fear no make me ansa my door for four days now'

Na around Tuesday last week some videos and fotos start to circulate on social media wey show some women wey some pipo dey beat say dem be witches.

Di women inside di videos make some confessions under fear and dis one make some pipo dey go round dey spread rumour say any visitor or strange face to your house fit be those ‘witches’.

To show how fast and wide di rumour spread, some residents of some states for northern Nigeria say na under fear dem dey for days now.

Usman Isah wey dey stay Kano tok say any knock for im door from Thursday last week na with fear e dey open am.

“Since my friend for work tell me about di witches and say dem dey move from house to house na with fear I dey open my door.”

“Anybody wey knock I must first shout ‘waye’ (who is there) if di pesin no call im name I no dey open.”

Adamu Kankia for Katsina state also tok say di situation worse pass for dia side as pipo no dey even trust some pipo wey dem even know for fear say anything fit happun.

“For Katsina here, di tin worse as some pipo no dey even entertain anybody for dia house for fear of witches.”

Na same tori of fear for Zamfara, Sokoto and Kaduna and Jigawa states but Police dey try calm pipo down so dat dem fit go about dia normal activities without fear.