Saving Nigeria’s ‘Witch’ Children
Posted on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 11:19 pmBy Bella
I believe the first time I read about this story was on NaijaBlog and I just couldn’t believe what I was reading. I tried to put together an article on this topic last week but found myself breaking down. This is just so tragic and I pray that we can all work together to stamp this out. We will keep raising awareness about these causes and mobilizing efforts to make a change! God bless Mr Gary Foxcroft for his effort! I cant help but feel ashamed that with this happening in my country, someone from the outside had to come in to shed light on this. It makes me think, what am I doing with my time, what am I doing with my influence? Below, BN Cause Contributor, NK Aniebo gives us some more info on this disturbing situation.
____________________
By NK Aniebo – BN Cause Contributor
Titled “Savings Africa’s Witch Children” – the one hour long documentary – based in Akwa Ibom state – focused on how children as young as 5 years old were branded as evil and are being abused, abandoned and even murdered. The documentary gives us graphic examples of the scars that some of these children had received from their own parents. These children were accused of killing their parents, poisoning their siblings, and for generally causing poverty in their household. The one that stuck out was a girl who had a 3 inch nail dug into her head – She had become mentally disabled. Another 5 year old girl called Mary was driven out of the house by her father. According to his pastor, she had “evil powers” which killed her mother. Mary turned out to be one of the lucky ones, as some were burnt with acid, or buried alive while the family stood by to watch them die.
This abuse has been linked to religious beliefs – a lot of pastors have formed a habit of brainwashing parents into believing one of their offspring is a “demon child”. In order for the child to be healed, religious leaders offer deliverance services, where they perform exorcism, for the price of up to N400,000. One wonders how families that live on less than a dollar a day are able to afford the costs. As part of this exorcism process, these children were locked up in a dark room in the church for weeks, starved and beaten into confession. One of the pastors called the Bishop was widely known for his ability to drive away evil spirits. He gave the children a concoction to drink called African mercury – this was a blend of pure alcohol and his own blood (I could not help but think about all the medical implications of drinking another human beings blood). Naturally, the Bishop instilled enough fear in the children to the extent that some of them began to believe that they were truly “possessed” by the devil.
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. When confronted about the fact that her film is an influential factor in the increase of the abuse of children in the region, she denied all allegations and accused the channel four reporter of being racist.
Stepping Stones Nigeria, a charity that works in partnership with local organisations in the Niger Delta region to build sustainable futures for some of the region’s many disadvantaged children, including protecting, saving and transforming the lives of children who have been stigmatised as being ‘witches’. So far they have been doing an excellent job with very little resources. The founder, 29-year-old Gary Foxcroft, initially went to the Niger/Delta region to research on Crude Oil but ended up staying back to devote his life to helping these desperate and vulnerable children.
So far he has rescued about 150 of them, and now struggles to care for them in a makeshift shelter and school. Stepping stones works alongside the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) – together they try to persuade the parents to take their children back, with little or no success.
After the documentary was aired, about £10,000 pounds was raised instantly. However, we still have a lot of work to do together to help this cause. This does not necessarily have to be financial, as these children need clothes, books e.t.c You can get more information on how to help by joining their Facebook group
Alternatively, please visit How To Help | Stepping Stones Nigeria
Note: Content of the videos are very disturbing
Tags: BN Cause
Pages: [3] 2 1 » Show All
Please is there anyway on can reach CRARN directly. Not too comfortable with 3rd party donations. Does anyone have their contact details?
Wow…
I have been trying to find the right words to say in response to this video but I have been dumbfounded for a good 15 minutes. Perplexed and confused. We embrace the bible and yet so willing to believe the presence of withcrafts and still participate in barbaric ways to achieve one thing or the other.
I do not want to offend people but this is happening because of the Nigerian or African mentality in which many of our comrades possess. If it is not the fact that a wife is considered a property where when her husband dies, his brother takes over by sleeping with her and reproducing his own children with her; then it is land matter; or the killing of twins; or the fact that women or daughters are not considered fit to head a household; and now this!
Cant we Africans understand that a nation and the strength of a nation rests simply in the hands of women and children? It is no wonder that we continue to be underdeveloped. Dont we realize that we are a laughingstock in the eyes of many industrialized nations that we try so hard to please? Politicians send their children to expensive schools abroad with Niger Delta money and the the true owners of such wealth die in shame or are stigmatized because of their stolen wealth??? If the money is spent on these people, would we be sitting before our computer screens and watching THIS?
It is not that money is the root of all evil…it is lack of it. We are all guilty of greed. The prophetess has to eat as well as the ‘bishop’ as well as the prophet. If they stop labeling children as witches their source of income will cease to exist.
We ARE SO GULLIBLE. I tell you. The things people say in Nigeria, I am shocked and many still claim to be graduates. I cannot believe this. I do not know if I should cry or scream………….children, Nigeria you will surely pay for the souls of those children. You will. And that woman who heads the Liberty Church of rubbish will pay too. She is enjoying her wealth now…..but God is not asleep.
Prayer DOES not work ALONE! I dont care what anyone says. We Nigerians ARE very lazy! Anything that happens, PRAY! If you cannot SHIT, pray! Prayer is not the answer at least not the only answer. It is like having an exam. If you tell yourself, I will pray and fast before the exam and you DO NOT study, I tell you….fast all you want, get prayer mongers, YOU WILL FAIL. WE HAVE FAILED OUR CHILDREN. AND WE HAVE FAILED OUR NATION. GOD FORBID!
It is no wonder that many Nigerians refuse to go home. There are many people walking around the streets of Nigeria that should not be because MOST of them are on the verge of insanity. I blame it on poverty and our continual need to look like the white man. It is evident that the curse of colonialism is still aparent. But we should grow out of it.
Religion has always been the opium of the masses. Where there is poverty there is bound to be a church. Arrive in America and you will find that the WHITE MAN who brought christianity is no longer practising it….because he has found wealth. BUT i guess this recession will change all that.
God forbid!!!
The screening of the documentary will hold in Lagos on Dec. 13, 2008 at Terra Kulture – 4pm. Pls come see it and come with your donations too!
I have no words to describe this. This is the most despicable and unforgivabe act against children i have ever seen. I can’t beleive this is still happening in Nigeria. Right now, i am ashamed to be a Nigerian and as a mother, i weep for those innocent children.
wow, this is very disturbing and heart breaking; How people can take the gospel of Jesus and turn it into insanity and wickedness. We really do have work to do, these families live in darkness. It’s very disturbing……
Please go to:
http://www.naijaryders.com/forums/220169-call-your-conscience-ii.html
Last year, a group of us raised over $500.00 through Naijaryders.com an online community, and were able to buy bags of food that were delivered to CRARN. Amonetary donation was made as well. This year, we are doing the same again and are hoping to raise up to $1000 by December 1 for the organization. Thus far, we have raised over $700.00. Please click on the link at:http://www.naijaryders.com/forums/220169-call-your-conscience-ii-4.html
to learn more about our efforts.
Anyone interested in donating can give via paypal at ebel_e@hotmail.com
We really need to stop talking about these kinds of things and start doing something about it!
This is SICK!!!! just plain twisted and disgusting…..bunch of freaking barbarians!!! What sort of parent abuses their child in such horrific ways???……UNBELIVABLE!….now I totally understand some folks go through life blaming thier shortcomings in life on others, but this crap right here is on another level….. these idiots need someone to set them straight….they need to know: “if ur life is screwed up, don’t blame the child….if anything blame ur freaking self, starve urself and burn ur hands and lable urself a witch….because guess what? u screwed it up!”
And I don’t think this is all “brainwashing” infact i think alot of those individuals -i.e parent and prophets who go around accusing their children of witchcraft need a serious mental evaluation and possibly need to be put on some antipsychotics! (no kidding…..these folks are demented, delusional and i’m pretty sure some of the so called “prophets” are definately Schizophrenics…..’cuz how can a mentally stable person stand in front of a camera and give such “BS” spiel on how they are convinced another individual has demonic power….what a load of crap!
And don’t even get me started on that ugly, need a perm, buck tooth looking heifer who is going around promoting this stupid notion of children being possessed but yet when confronted with her consequences of her half assed work she has the nerve to get upset and claim racism….no heifer, it ain’t racism baby, its freaking reality and if had a lick of sense in that nappy Kuta Kinte looking head of yours u will know that! Gosh! these fools got me riled up….I hope there is a special boulevard in hell for all these crooked prophets and evangelist who commit such heinous crimes against innocent, children who can’t defend themselves…i just refuse to believe this nonsense actually exist! I was beyond stunned looking at video….this madness and it needs to stop like seriously! It 2008 people…grow the hell up!
Totally insane!
Totally confused by religion!
Totally nonsense!
We’ve got work to do
this has been happening since time memorial. its 9ja. every househelp is a witch or a wizard. any strange thing happenin is attributed to them. i believe there are forces of darkness but the solution to such is through prayers not toturing the poor souls. their deaths are in these fake prophets hands. judgement day is coming and we would all be judged according to the works of our hands. do the great pastors of our time burned any1? or is it written in the bible to burn them with acid or maltreat them.
these prophets all have psychatric issues and should be evaluated. let’s be careful of the churches we go to. we should believe everything we hear