A Nigerian man named Chimelum Ajanma has shared on Facebook how he killed and burned an owl he caught because people told him it is an “evil owl”.
Sharing pictures of the bird which looks like a harmless African barn owl, Chimelum said it tried several times to get the bird to fly away but it stubbornly refused.
Chimelum said the bird’s stubbornness confirmed it is evil so he caught and killed it. Chimelum also shared pictures of the bird burning up in flames after he set it on fire. According to him, when you see an owl in the afternoon, it means it has an urgent evil agenda.
African barn owls like most owl species are nocturnal and mostly inactive during the day.
Chimelum’s post has garnered a lot of criticism on social media with many users trying to school him that owls are harmless, naturally occurring creatures with no bearing whatsoever to witchcraft.
Many animals are associated with witchcraft in parts of Africa. Owls and cats are top of the list of African animals commonly associated with witchcraft.
This superstition was duly explored in the African fantasy book – Ola – The Tale of a Young Moon Maiden – writtenby Daniel Nkado.