'Child-witches' of Nigeria seek refuge
by Telegraph


Reposted from:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/nigeria/3407882/Child-witches-of-Nigeria-seek-refuge.html

Mary is a pretty five-year-old girl with big brown eyes and a father who kicked her out onto the streets in one of the most dangerous parts of the world. Her crime: the local priest had denounced her as a witch and blamed her "evil powers" for causing her mother's death.

Ostracised, vulnerable and frightened, she wandered the streets in south-eastern Nigeria, sleeping rough, struggling to stay alive.

Mary was found by a British charity worker and today lives at a refuge in Akwa Ibom province with 150 other children who have been branded witches, blamed for all their family's woes, and abandoned. Before being pushed out of their homes many were beaten or slashed with knives, thrown onto fires, or had acid poured over them as a punishment or in an attempt to make them "confess" to being possessed. In one horrific case, a young girl called Uma had a three-inch nail driven into her skull.

Yet Mary and the others at the shelter are the lucky ones for they, at least, are alive. Many of those branded "child-witches" are murdered - hacked to death with machetes, poisoned, drowned, or buried alive in an attempt to drive Satan out of their soul.

The devil's children are "identified" by powerful religious leaders at extremist churches where Christianity and traditional beliefs have combined to produce a deep-rooted belief in, and fear of, witchcraft. The priests spread the message that child-witches bring destruction, disease and death to their families. And they say that, once possessed, children can cast spells and contaminate others.

The religious leaders offer help to the families whose children are named as witches, but at a price. The churches run exorcism, or "deliverance", evenings where the pastors attempt to drive out the evil spirits. Only they have the power to cleanse the child of evil spirits, they say. The exorcism costs the families up to a year's income.

During the "deliverance" ceremonies, the children are shaken violently, dragged around the room and have potions poured into their eyes. The children look terrified. The parents look on, praying that the child will be cleansed. If the ritual fails, they know their children will have to be sent away, or killed. Many are held in churches, often on chains, and deprived of food until they "confess" to being a witch.

The ceremonies are highly lucrative for the spiritual leaders many of whom enjoy a lifestyle of large homes, expensive cars and designer clothes.

Ten years ago there were few cases of children stigmatised by witchcraft. But since then the numbers have grown at an alarming rate and have reached an estimated 15,000 in Akwa Ibom state alone.

Some Nigerians blame the increase on one of the country's wealthiest and most influential evangelical preachers. Helen Ukpabio, a self-styled prophetess of the 150-branch Liberty Gospel Church, made a film, widely distributed, called End of the Wicked. It tells, in graphic detail, how children become possessed and shows them being inducted into covens, eating human flesh and bringing chaos and death to their families and communities.

Mrs Ukpabio, a mother of three, also wrote a popular book which tells parents how to identify a witch. For children under two years old, she says, the key signs of a servant of Satan are crying and screaming in the night, high fever and worsening health - symptoms that can be found among many children in an impoverished region with poor health care.

The preacher says that her work is true to the Bible and is a means of spreading God's word. "Witchcraft is a problem all over Nigeria and someone with a gift like me can never hurt anybody," she says. "Every Nigerian wants to watch my movies." She denies that her teachings and films could encourage child abuse.

One British charity worker is fighting to help the children stigmatised as witches. Gary Foxcroft, 29, programme director for the UK charity Stepping Stones, Nigeria, first came to the country in 2003 to research the oil industry for his masters degree. But he was so shocked when he learned about the children's plight that he decided to help raise money for the refuge - the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (Crarn) - and try to persuade the parents to take their children back. He has also helped to build a school for the children who are refused places at local schools.

"Any Christian would look at the situation that is going on here and just be absolutely outraged that they were using the teachings of Jesus Christ to exploit and abuse innocent children," says Mr Foxcroft whose expose of what he describes as "an absolute scandal" will be screened in a Channel 4 documentary on Wednesday.

The Niger Delta is an oil-rich region but the wealth does not reach the people who live there. The locals blame their hardship on the Devil but international analysts point to the oil industry's large-scale contamination of air, land and sea.

In the documentary, the charity worker visits one of the pastors, a man who calls himself "the Bishop" and who claims to be able to drive evil spirits out of "possessed" children. At his church in Ibaka, the Bishop pours a homemade substance called African mercury, a potion of pure alcohol and his own blood, into the eyes of a young boy lying on a table. "I want this poison destroyer to destroy the witch right now, in Jesus' name," he says.

The priest charges £170 - in a country where millions of people are forced to live on less than £1 a day - for "treating" a child every night for two weeks, and holds them captive until the bill is paid.

He has recently refined his techniques for dealing with child witches. "I killed up to 110 people who were identified as being a witch," he says. He claims there are 2.3million "witches and wizards" in Akwa Ibom province alone.

The children's shelter was started five years ago when Sam Itauma, a Nigerian, opened his house to four youngsters accused of witchcraft. Today, he and his five staff are caring for 150 youngsters. "Every day, five or six children are branded as witches," he says "Once a child has been stigmatised as a witch, it is very difficult for someone to accept that child back. If they go out from this community, there is a lot of attacks, assault and abuses on the children." Children often arrive at the shelter with severe wounds, but few clinics or hospitals will treat a child believed to be a witch.

"Christianity in the Niger Delta is seriously questionable, putting a traditional religion together with Christian religion - and it makes nonsense out of it," he says. "If you are not rich and don't have anything to eat, you look to blame someone. And if you don't get anything, you blame it on the witches."

Christians have been in Nigeria since the 19th century and the Niger Delta area claims to have more churches per square mile than any other place on Earth. The vast majority of the country's 60 million Christians are moderate, but an influx of Pentecostals over the past 50 years has led some churches to be dominated by extremist views. Five years ago, the Nigerian government passed a Child Rights Act, which made abuse illegal, but not every state has adopted it.

At the refuge, a baby girl called Utibe and her five-year-old sister, Utitofong, are dumped at the gate by their mother because a "prophet" told her that Utitofong was a witch and had passed the spell to her sister. The mother, who spent four months' salary on an unsuccessful exorcism, left them at the centre because she feared they would be killed. The police are called but locals offer them no help.

Mr Itauma goes to the village to try and convince the locals to accept the daughters' return, but the older girl is threatened by a man with a machete. "Get away from our food - I'll kill you," he shouts. Utibe is allowed to stay, but the older girl has to go back to the refuge.

At the end of the film, Mr Foxcroft and all the "child-witches" stage a demonstration at the Governor's residence in the state capital, Uyo, and urge him to adopt the Child Rights Act." After four hours the Governor comes out and says the Act will be adopted. It has since been adopted, but so far not a single pastor has been convicted of any offence. And the rescue centre still takes in up to 10 children a week.

Mr Foxcroft took Mary back to her village where he was told that her father left a year ago to find work in Cameroon. A cousin says: "She is a witch, we don't want her here." Mary is now back at the refuge.

- Dispatches Special: Saving Africa's Witch Children will be shown on Channel 4 on Wednesday, 12 November, at 9pm

Sick and shameful

Dark age. . . . .

We are indeed moving backwards instead of the other way round. This is soo wrong.

For those with access to UK television, story is airing tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm.

Arrant nonsense. This is what happens when people go to church without their thinking caps.

I am disappointed in Helen Ukpabio. She is a big let down by feasting on the helplessness of the masses. I have always said it that Nigeria will change when the church is sanitised. Most of the problems in the country originate from churches and the ministers.

Absurdity often makes sense in Nigeria!

if you are in the UK, go watch this now.

Nigeria is hell.

All the sweat, tears, blood and suffering of those poor little children should be put on the hands of these servants of god and god.

I told you guys with my very first post on NL that religion is the bane of any society and this is the evidence for you all to see. Need I say more?

Hi I don’t think Seun has seen the video of this madness, I trust that if he has, this Post will be at the front of the home page to enlighten people about what is happening in Nigeria, what the hell are we Africans doing to ourselves,
Lets not forget that the only people that can help Africa are Africans themselves, we can not stand alone as an individual and think its none of our business because it is we are all suffering the downpour and consequences of this action, this is a shame and I am so confident that the people forum NAIRALAND can do its bit to help bring this problem to the fore and inform the Nigeria people that this is real and to help these poor children as well as shame those responsible for this despicable  act


Seun
I have put this video here for you and everyone else to see, please put this out so more people can see and help please. Thank you


http://www.channel4.com/services/videoplayer/popup.jsp?name=dispatches_witch_children




http://www.channel4.com/services/videoplayer/popup.jsp?name=dispatches_witch_children


N.B- Please can the board responsible for censoring movies check all Helen Ukpabio movies and ban where found to be encouraging the act of witch hunting especially where it concerns defenseless children this is so archaic

horny4u:

Hi I don’t think Seun has seen the video of this madness, I trust that if he has, this Post will be at the front of the home page to enlighten people about what is happening in Nigeria, what the hell are we Africans doing to ourselves,
Lets not forget that the only people that can help Africa are Africans themselves, we can not stand alone as an individual and think its none of our business because it is we are all suffering the downpour and consequences of this action, this is a shame and I am so confident that the people forum NAIRALAND can do its bit to help bring this problem to the fore and inform the Nigeria people that this is real and to help these poor children as well as shame those responsible for this despicable act


Seun
I have put this video here for you and everyone else to see, please put this out so more people can see and help please. Thank you


http://www.channel4.com/services/videoplayer/popup.jsp?name=dispatches_witch_children




http://www.channel4.com/services/videoplayer/popup.jsp?name=dispatches_witch_children


N.B- Please can the board responsible for censoring movies check all Helen Ukpabio movies and ban where found to be encouraging the act of witch hunting especially where it concerns defenseless children this is so archaic

I agree with your sentiments but the situation is really desperate and if history is any think to go by, the prospect are not good. Africans have a very poor tract record of solving their own problems and I don't see this one being any different.

Someone should Tivo this show and upload to zshare.net

I haven't watched the documentary yet but i video taped it

I watched the program today and my heart goes out to all those little kids.

I know kids and adults get branded witches but I didnt know it got to the extent of leaving sending kids as young as five out of their home because they are possessed or pouring acid on them or starving them to death. They even put a nail in one girl's head and she's gone mentally ill.

How can parents let people abuse their own children ? Beating the crap out of children does not chase any demons out of them? When will these parents wake up and see they are being exploited by these fake pastors?

It's so heartbreaking!

I hope the Akwa-Ibom state government ensures that all those who treat kids like that face the wrath of the law!

manmustwac:

I haven't watched the documentary yet but i video taped it

Please upload it for me as soon as you can.

sisikill posted links to it in the culture section.

Hi All,



I watched the so-called child witches and wizards of Nigeria last night, on Channel 4 TV.

All I can say is that this could only be allowed to take place in Nigeria and nowhere else in the world.  It is a disgrace that such child cruelty occurs in the Pentecostal Church, all in the name of God.

One 'pastor' in that church in Akwa Ibom State openly admitted that he had killed 110 kids because they were 'witches' and 'wizards'!  The other person, a priestess by the name of whatever, who happened to have made a film about how to get rid of witches (as well as written a book on it), has 150 Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria and openly preaches the branding of innocent kids as witches and wizards, and the need to 'exorcise' them.  Mad fools!!

Those innocent kids are being brutalised and killed or chucked out of their homes simply because some demented 'pastor' brands them as witches and wizards.

Tell you the truth, after having watched that film last night, I feel so ashamed to be a Nigerian.  It is madness out there.  It really is and the worst part being that not even the police care about what's happening.  They just turn a blind eye to it all.  The perpetrators of those crimes are not even being arrested.     

I'm sure that the Moslems would never do that.  Never!

What's the Christianity in all of this?  How can a so-called pastor single out children and brand them as witches, only to be severed with matchetes or killed or maimed.     

Nigeria is definitely in the dark ages in view of such practises and I hope that the Federal Government would do something about protecting those innocent kids.  Yes, there's supposed to be a Children's Act, yet, the state of Akwa Ibom never adopted it until when those kids and their benefactor (a 29-year old English guy) demonstrated outside the State Governor's residence.

Shame on the PENTECOSTAL CHURCH and any other church that practices such evil acts in the name of God.  Shame on you bloody demented lot.  Shame on you for branding innocent kids as witches and wizards.

You go as far as to say that deaths occurring in the family and oil spillages in the Niger Delta are the doings of the so-called child 'witches' and 'wizards'.  You bloody lot must be sick in your pumpkin heads.  Must be! 

May all of you burn in hell.  Oh yeah, and this goes to any Pentecostal Church member in this Forum whose Church practices such evil and unholy act on innocent children or on anybody for that matter.




kiwi992.

I feel so pained and bitter about thess evil acts. If i didn't watch the video i would have argued that such a thing cannot happen in Nigeria of today. I am really, really bitter i don't know what to say. My heart bleeds for those poor wonderful innocent children. For those of us that are true christ like christians we should stand up as one and wage war against these agents of satan who are dragging christianity in the mud through evil manipulation for their own selfishand greedy desires.

I am not surprised seeing that Mary Sclessor had to stop those hooligans from Killing their twin children after they claimed one of the twins was possessed or evil.

It is happening again.

These evil demons are getting away with such acts becuase of the collective failure of the church to teach and practise the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which is purely based on love. If love as a fundermental anchor on which chistianity is based is being widely preached and practised by the church as a non negotiable principle on which all churches and christians must practise and the awareness of this truth is wide spread in the christian fold, it would be very difficult for these evil demons to carry out the work of the devil in their supposedly christian folds. Cause they would be compelled to show love to their flock and if they don't it would be obvious they are not of God. The church urgently needs to revert back to true christianity.

Why is it only when western journalists report this that we realise that it is going on and are bothered to do anything about it. It has been going on under most of our noses for a very long time. What about all those journalists in Nigeria? How comes not a single one of them thought that this was a story worth publicizing. Hmmm, perhaps it's because plus the journalists, plus all the supposed professional classes, plus the idiots, they all belong to the same mindset. Not a single one of them is shocked at such evil. Not until the white man comes along and decries it. Then all of a sudden we are ashamed to be nigerian and it is so shocking. . . . (sigh) I don't know!