Don’t stigamatise obeahman Samuels says obeah getting a bad rap for crimes of fraudsters
Crime
Legal
October 16, 2026
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The outrage sparked by the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl by a self-described oheahman has prompted prominent attorney-at-law Bert Samuels to issue a stern warning about predators who hide behind religion and claims of supernatural powers to exploit vulnerable people.
But while the case has reignited debate about obeah, Samuels argues that the real issue is not the belief system being invoked, but the individuals who use positions of trust to deceive and abuse others.
“We stigmatised obeah too much, a lot of the wrongs are not obeah-based. Sometimes the man says he is an obeahman [but] he is not no obeahman, he just uses it. He is just a con man,” he said.
Crime
Legal
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