Nigerian herbalist shot dead as anti-bullet charm fails

Yahoo/AFP ^ | Wed Dec 17,11:55 AM ET | staff ??

[Yeti]

LAGOS (AFP) - A traditional doctor in central Nigeria has been shot dead by a patient who was testing the potency of an anti-bullet charm the herbalist had prepared for him, police told AFP.

AFP/File Photo

Ashi Terfa died when patient Umaa Akor fired a gun at his head two weeks ago in south-central Benue state, police spokesman Bode Fakeye said Wednesday.

"Akor went for an insurance against bullets and contacted Terfa to prepare it for him," he said.

"To confirm its efficacy, the herbalist tied the charm around his neck and insisted that Akor should fire a gun at him. The experiment proved fatal for the herbalist and his skull was shattered," he added. "He died immediately".

Fakeye said the suspect had appeared in court for culpable homicide, but had been release on bail.

"The motive to kill could not be established against the suspect since the herbalist asked him to shoot to test the charm," he added.

The belief in withcraft and charms is rife in Africa.

[Yeti]

Well, at least he stands behind his product.

[GeronL]

Another Darwin Nominee, joining the guy in Mexico who volunteered as a pinata

[Djarum]

Poof

[Sender]

The train-resistant vest is also back to the drawing board.

[Dutch Boy]

Just thinning the herd. Nothing to see here.....

[Ken522]

... and he told a customer to shoot him in the head??? That's gotta be the craziest stunt ever - stranger than fiction!

[Doohickey]

So, did the guy get his money back? The charm is obviously defective.

[quidnunc]

Herbalist my Aunt Fanny, the mope was a witch doctor!

[GeronL]

Tyrant beauty contest

[CaptRon]

This probably woudldn't have happened if the UN had had its way and these people were wired for Internet access.

[Tacis]

It was Carol Moseley-Braun who had so much pull in Nigeria. Had Bush not opposed her, she would have been in a position to recommend a competent herbalist to this guy and the quack he used would still be alive. It is Bush's fault.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Sounds like the guy who wanted to prove that his bullet proof Kevlar vest was also knife proof. Hint: You REALLY don't want to try this at home.

[chickenlips]

Sure adds new meaning to the term "holistic medicine".

A really smart "herbalist" would have tried the test on a lawyer.

[Justice]

LOL

[Eris]

Just like a Nigerian - brings a plant to a gun fight.

[supercat]

Sounds like the guy who wanted to prove that his bullet proof Kevlar vest was also knife proof. Hint: You REALLY don't want to try this at home.

And occasionally I hear of someone who demonstrates that a gun is 'only' loaded with blanks by pointing it at his head and pulling the trigger.

And short enough range, blanks can be fatal. Actually, since blanks often have larger charges than bullet-laden cartridges, I'd think the concussion at contact distance may be even worse than with a "live" round.

[Bambino]

I hate it when that happens!

[squidly]

I recall a soap opera actor killing himself that way a few years back. Had a pistol loaded with blanks on the set as a prop, and he was goofing around with it, put it to his temple and pulled the trigger. Lights out.

[supercat]

I recall a soap opera actor killing himself that way a few years back. Had a pistol loaded with blanks on the set as a prop, and he was goofing around with it, put it to his temple and pulled the trigger. Lights out.

On the other thread, someone posted a link to a lawsuit which probably involved that particular incident. I don't know what the outcome of the lawsuit is, but I'd suggest that the defendants suggest that the plaintiff sue whatever acting school the decedent attended, since it should be well-known that blank pistols have a minimum safe range within which they should never be fired directly at another person; even beyond that range, they should still only be fired directly at another person if absolutely necessary; otherwise the shooter should deliberately 'miss' (with the photographic or staging angles arranged so that the 'miss' isn't apparent).

[StormEye]

And remember: All cultures are the same.