A woman alleged to be a witch has met her untimely death in the hands of angry youths in Bauchi state.

Policemen in Bauchi have arrested four people suspected to have beaten a 70-year old woman to death in the state. The woman was accused of being a witchcraft before she was killed on September 5th in Doka village, Bauchi Local Government Area.

According to the Police spokesman, Bauchi State Command, Kamal Mohammed, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, made the confirmation in an interview with newsmen in his office at the Police headquarters, Bauchi, on Tuesday.

Mohammed said the suspects seized the deceased, Mrs. Liyatu Michael, and another elderly woman whom they both suspected of witchcraft, took them to a house in the community and started beating them.

According to a report by Punch, the suspects “on realising that one of the women had died, they took her dumped her corpse in the backyard.” The other woman, identified simply as Keziah, survived the beatings and is receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital, Mohammed added.

He said the police are investigating the circumstances that led to Liyatu’s death, while the four suspects would soon be charged to court for culpable homicide.

It was gathered that trouble for the two women started after they allegedly confessed to being among “practising witches” that had reportedly “caused” many premature deaths and setbacks in Doka community.

The irate youths thereafter pounced on them, not minding their ages, in a bid to force them to confess more details of their alleged atrocities.

Newsmen further learnt that Liyatu, a mother of eight, and another elderly woman, Keziah, were rounded up by the youths at about 3.00am and taken to a room where the two elderly women were beaten to a pulp in the presence of their helpless children and family members.

The report stated that the youths were specifically angered that the duo were allegedly behind the grave illness of a young housewife in the community identified as Yelkon.

“Yelkon has been bedridden and seriously sick immediately after she gave birth and we learnt that her illness was caused by the two women who confessed to have “tied her” in the coven and that she would be sick until she dies,” said a resident of Doka, who pleaded anonymity.