LAGOS, Nigeria — A rights organisation has asked the Tai Local Government Council in Rivers State to abandon a proposed by-law criminalising the invocation of “harmful juju”.
The group said the measure could violate constitutional freedoms and encourage witch-hunts.
In a statement emailed to The Trent on Thursday, September 10, 2026, Advocacy for Alleged Witches challenged both the substance of the proposal and the council’s authority to enact it.
The draft measure, titled A Bill for a Bye-Law for the Prohibition of the Invocation of Harmful Juju and Other Matters Related Thereto in Tai Local Government Area, 2026, seeks to prohibit the use of charms, juju or claimed spiritual powers to harm, threaten, kill, compel or improperly influence another person.
The organisation said the characterisation of certain spiritual practices as “harmful juju” reflected a value judgement that could discriminate against practitioners of traditional religions.
Questions About Evidence
Advocacy for Alleged Witches argued that several proposed offences would depend on claims about supernatural powers that cannot be established through evidence ordinarily recognised by Nigerian courts.
The paper said psychological distress could be demonstrated, but proving that another person caused such distress through juju would present an evidential difficulty.
It made a similar argument about provisions addressing alleged spiritual attempts to injure, kill or control another person.
Sections 5 and 7 of the proposal establish offences relating to the invocation of juju and provide penalties for those found responsible.
The organisation said the provisions could lead to prosecutions based on suspicion, religious belief or unverified accusations.
The draft lists protecting human rights, adapting provisions of the Criminal Code and reducing reliance on superstition among its objectives.
The advocacy group said the goal of reducing superstition should be pursued through education and public engagement rather than additional criminal legislation.
Local Government Powers Challenged
The organisation also disputed the council’s authority to reproduce or modify provisions of Nigeria’s Criminal Code.
It said Chapter 20 of the Criminal Code already addresses claims involving witchcraft, charms, supernatural powers and accusations that a person is a witch.
Under what the group described as the constitutional principle of covering the field, it argued that the council could not enact another law governing the same subjects.
The position paper also criticised a proposed penalty allowing offenders to be banished from their communities.
It argued that banishment would conflict with constitutional protections permitting citizens to move freely and live in any part of the country.
Section 8 of the proposal would criminalise accusing another person of witchcraft. Although the organisation supports efforts to prevent witchcraft accusations, it said equivalent offences were already covered by existing criminal legislation.
Arrest Powers Draw Criticism
The group reserved some of its strongest criticism for Section 9, which would authorise traditional rulers, youth councils, community task forces, and residents to arrest people suspected of invoking or intending to invoke juju.
It warned that giving such powers to a broad range of community actors could expose traditional religion practitioners and other vulnerable residents to arbitrary arrest, intimidation and violence.
The organisation said the provision could legitimise public suspicion and create conditions for wider witch-hunts, particularly in communities where accusations of supernatural wrongdoing already generate fear.
It also argued that Section 10, which addresses the proposal’s legal basis, showed that its authors had misunderstood the place of local government legislation within Nigeria’s hierarchy of laws.
Advocacy for Alleged Witches urged the council to consult traditional institutions and undertake public education about superstition, harmful accusations and the rights of residents.
“This proposed bye-law cannot be saved or amended in any wise to make it reasonable or legally tenable,” the organisation said.
The group, which campaigns against witch-hunts in Africa, called for the proposal to be withdrawn in its entirety.
