The Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) urges the Zamfara state government in Nigeria to release and compensate Mr Samalia Bala.
Since June 2026, Bala has been accused and jailed by the Upper Sharia Court in Tsafe for ‘witchcraft and juju’, an ‘offence’ that has no basis in law. Sources in Zamfara told AfAW that Bala’s case has been ongoing since 2020. This is the third time that he has been imprisoned for the alleged offence.
In 2020, Mr Bala was a teacher at a local school when a female student fell ill and, during her illness, mentioned his name. The student was taken to a hospital, and after some blood tests, she was found to have sickle cell disease. However, her parents and relatives attributed her ailment to witchcraft and claimed that her teacher, Bala, was responsible.
After the parents filed a charge at the local Sharia court, Bala was remanded for six months, before being released. However, in 2024, he was jailed again – and two months later, the Grand Khadi granted him a pardon, and he was released. Then, in June of this year, Bala was arrested and remanded again, and he now remains in prison.
AfAW’s contact in Gusau visited Bala in prison to get details of his case and his incarceration, with more prison visits scheduled in the coming weeks and months. We will continue to provide legal and humanitarian support to Bala, while local and international efforts will be made to free him.
Meanwhile a legal expert in the region, when consulted regarding the alleged offence, told us:
“Actually, our laws do not recognize the offenses of juju or witchcraft. In the North, where the penal code applies, fraudulent use of charms, obtaining money by false presence, public nuisance, causing harm, etc. are framed by the police in some instances. But witchcraft is not recognized as a crime. The VAPP LAW actually criminalizes witchcraft accusations. And since the law does not recognize the offence, the remand has no legal basis under the administration of criminal justice law, as one cannot be remanded for a non-existent offence.
However, under Sharia penal law, even though there’s no offense of witchcraft, the courts sometimes charge people under broader provisions like sihr(sorcery), which some interpret as an offense against public order, disturbance of peace, or fraud if money was collected, etc. The bottom line is that the person cannot be validly charged or held for witchcraft/ juju alone. The police must prove actual statutory offense(s). The best line of action is to engage the services of a good lawyer for the victim to file a preliminary objection. And then seek the DPP’s intervention to take over and discontinue if no offense is found.
AfAW plans to engage a lawyer to file a preliminary objection. Meanwhile, other options are actively being pursued to release Bala. Zamfara State authorities should understand that remanding Bala for the offence of ‘witchcraft and juju’ is a judicial embarrassment in 2026. His incarceration ridicules the legal system, and makes mockery of the rule of law.
The Sharia Penal Code (SPC) Law of Zamfara State, Section 406, primarily addresses offenses tied to prohibited traditional religious practices, specifically the unlawful invocation or worship of “juju”. Section 406(d) states:
Whoever presides at or is present at or takes part in the worship or invocation of any juju which has been declared unlawful under the provisions of Section 405 will be punished with death.
Bala did not commit any such offence.
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches believes that Mr. Bala is innocent, and a victim of a state- and Sharia-based witch hunt. We call on the Zamfara State Government to free Samaila Bala. They must drop the charge of ‘witchcraft and juju’ against him, and they must stop the persecution and prosecution for non-existent offences. We demand they release and compensate him, immediately. And we continue to call for an end to witch hunts in Zamfara State.
