Oba Ewuare II said witch doctors in Edo who fail to subject themselves to his control would go to hell.
The monarch stated this during a live conference organised by his palace to address controversies between the royal house and the Edo State Government over the planned return of artefacts stolen from the Benin Kingdom by British colonial masters 124 years ago (1897).
On the sidelines of the press conference, Oba Ewuare spoke on activities of herbalists who allegedly prevent girls trafficked for prostitution from exposing human traffickers.
He said, “…. all the native doctors here are under our control. Those that don’t want to be under our control will go to hell. You know they will go to hell fire as the Penticostal Christians call it. We advice them to stay away from holding these girls to ransom and making them take oath, so that they can feel free to speak NAPTIP and human trafficking agencies and all that.”
The state has suffered kidnapping and human trafficking issues which were reportedly linked to the activities of native doctors.
An estimated 94 per cent of women trafficked to Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation are from Edo State, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
