A Nigerian church accused of linking poor discipline to witchcraft wants to open an independent school in Kent.

Winners' Chapel International, which is currently under investigation by the Charity Commission, wants to open the school at its Dartford site.

Human rights campaigners and the National Secular Society are urging the government to turn down the school bid.

The church, whose leader Bishop David Oyedpo was filmed accusing a woman of being a witch, declined an interview.

The organisation, which has its headquarters in Nigeria, is known as Living Faith Church Worldwide and also Winners' Chapel International (WCI).

Bishop Oyedepo, its leader in Nigeria, has been shown on YouTube slapping a woman and accusing her of being a witch.

His son David Oyedepo Junior is the pastor at WCI's European headquarters in Dartford, where the church organisation wants to open Kingdom Heritage Model School for children aged four to seven.

But groups including the National Secular Society (NSS) have raised concerns amid claims the church links child "disobedience" to witchcraft - citing the David Oyedepo Ministries website, which states "disobedience is as terrible as witchcraft".

Stephen Evans, from the NSS, said the Metropolitan Police had investigated 27 cases of child abuse related to witchcraft this year.

He said: "There's a need to be vigilant and there's a need to tackle this.

"You don't do this by allowing organisations that believe in witchcraft and are associated with witch-hunting to open in the UK."

Bishop Oyedepo, its leader in Nigeria, has been shown on YouTube slapping a woman and accusing her of being a witch.

"You don't do this by allowing organisations that believe in witchcraft and are associated with witch-hunting to open in the UK."

hardywaltz:
Thank God the greedy Pastorprenure is finally been made to pay for his sins..

izu777:


make i hear word. watch your tongue man!

izu777:


make i hear word. watch your tongue man!

izu777:


make i hear word. watch your tongue man!

hardywaltz:

Abeg make I hear word isn't he a greedy fellow, go and threatening the Brits that have given him a persona non garanta in UK.

Goanddie:





See grammar a beg!

Tallesty1:
Else

iceberylin:

Really enjoying ur diary

Keep mentioning my moniker, abeg

ofiafuluego:
The news dedicated to winners chapel int'l and its plans to establish school in the UK, the BBC introduced under the headline "Nigerian witchcraft Church in bid to open Kent school"

What exactly have Nigeria done wrong to deserve this accolade of embarrassments from the int'l media.

hardywaltz:

Abeg make I hear word isn't he a greedy fellow? go and threaten the Brits that have given him a persona non garanta status in UK.

hardywaltz:

Doesn't change the fact that he (Oledepo) is a Con man

Bobbystanley:
They aren't Far from the truth.

A church where the general Overseer is the richest Pastor in the world with the poor man's offering and have done nothing tangible to give back to the Poor.

The schools he established with the common man's sweat isn't affordable for the poor.

What else do u call Witchcraft?

donmalcolm21:
I'm not holding brief for Oyedepo but I think BBC needs to stop disparging anything Nigerian, we deserve respect from them because we are no longer their colonist.

enimcnite:
i will not use my mouth to criticize or judge a man of God....i just dey observe!

Bobbystanley:
They aren't Far from the truth.

A church where the general Overseer is the richest Pastor in the world with the poor man's offering and have done nothing tangible to give back to the Poor.

The schools he established with the common man's sweat isn't affordable for the poor.

What else do u call Witchcraft?

enimcnite:
i will not use my mouth to criticize or judge a man of God....!

bigass:


watch which tongue. He is not Jesus. Even Jesus was abused. Oyedepo is a conman deceiving Nigerians since 1980 1952

ikeugbo:
come to think of it, what made you think that its d poor that made them rich, how much do think a jet is worth and how much is spent on running the place: water light, roads, salaries, food and so on. Do you think its surely the poor that makes ministries rich. On the contrary its the rich and wealthy those who can easily give 10k offering in a single sunday if the poor made them rich calculate the offering at an average of N50 x 130k people in a sine sunday that N6.5m then you would need almost 500weeks to buy a jet not to talk of 4 jets. This is exculsive of running costs and other things. I say this because i have seen the offering baskets of churches made,up of N10 and so on this is not chiding those people but letting you know that God makes men rich and not common man. The rich hardly give except yoi offer them something and for them to give him willingly they see what people outside just sit down and gossip about. Moreoever the days of little beginnings yoi dont know what sacrifices were made to get to where they are. So its seriously opposite and 130k people would not be foolish for 30yrs to follow him its only those jealous that would murmur outside seeing they cannot do what people like him do daily