Originally: Killing children in God's Name

Children are targets of Nigerian witch hunt

Evangelical pastors are helping to create a terrible new campaign of violence against young Nigerians. Children and babies branded as evil are being abused, abandoned and even murdered while the preachers make money out of the fear of their parents and their communities

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2224553,00.html

When people are brought up to believe in imaginary things, this is the inevitable result.
Children who should be enjoying parental love and care are treated as criminals for no reason.

There's a thread on this already: Children Targeted By Witch Hunts

beign possesed? possible,

fight the demon not the flesh.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

blackgucci:

beign possesed? possible,

fight the demon not the flesh.

I agree with you, FIGHT THE DEMON, NOT THE FLESH!

When one is brought up in superstitious culture this kind of thing seems normal. When I lived in Nigeria it wasn't unusual to hear of someone, another child, confessing to be a witch and having the daylights beaten out of them.
We used to hear about Obanjes' too. Chinua Achebe wrote about Obanjes in 'Things fall apart'and I believe one of Ben Okri's books is about one too.

Sijien:

Originally: Killing children in God's Name

Children are targets of Nigerian witch hunt

Evangelical pastors are helping to create a terrible new campaign of violence against young Nigerians. Children and babies branded as evil are being abused, abandoned and even murdered while the preachers make moneyout of the fear of their parents and their communities

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2224553,00.html

Even babies are killed for just superstitious reasons? 

The problem is, people don't listen or believe in the children; they believe that children don't have anything to offer. Hence if a child exert any form of questionnable characters; they quickly label them as being witch or gradually developing into such.

It is a pity that some who claim to be Africans and Christians are denying whitchcraft as a mere supersition! Though I don't support the Pastors that mis-handle demonic activities in the lives of these kids but "OGBANJE, ABIKU and other demonic interfrences are realities in the lives of adults and children alike. Children in their innocence are more open to the attacks. In some primary and secondary schools in Nigeria, there are agents of satan that lure these young ones and initiate them into occultic activities. In the Universities, it becomes Campus cults and demonic fratanities. Outside the Univesities, they now join an esoteric secret society or an ancient occult society. So the devil is catching them young. The pastors that mis handle deliverance sessions with these kids are not gifted in that area. That they are fake jewels does not mean that diamond is not exsiting

, making money in the name of God??
only God will Judge

I guess those pastors have not read Matthew 18:2-6:

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

Sometimes you wonder which Christ and God is being preached in Naija churches. Most probably the one Abacha said he was seeking guidance from on whether to run as a civilian president. Or maybe the one that a governor after jumping bail following his arrest for stealing his people's money, dressed as a woman and travelled under fake documents only to arrive in his state capital and said it was the Lord doing, and the deprived people chorused Hallelujah. Haba na wetin

Nawa O! When will we open our eyes in this country

rotimy:

It is a pity that some who claim to be Africans and Christians are denying whitchcraft as a mere supersition! Though I don't support the Pastors that mis-handle demonic activities in the lives of these kids but "OGBANJE, ABIKU and other demonic interfrences are realities in the lives of adults and children alike. Children in their innocence are more open to the attacks. In some primary and secondary schools in Nigeria, there are agents of satan that lure these young ones and initiate them into occultic activities. In the Universities, it becomes Campus cults and demonic fratanities. Outside the Univesities, they now join an esoteric secret society or an ancient occult society. So the devil is catching them young. The pastors that mis handle deliverance sessions with these kids are not gifted in that area. That they are fake jewels does not mean that diamond is not exsiting

Well Said!

rotimy:

It is a pity that some who claim to be Africans and Christians are denying whitchcraft as a mere supersition! Though I don't support the Pastors that mis-handle demonic activities in the lives of these kids but "OGBANJE, ABIKU and other demonic interfrences are realities in the lives of adults and children alike. Children in their innocence are more open to the attacks. In some primary and secondary schools in Nigeria, there are agents of satan that lure these young ones and initiate them into occultic activities. In the Universities, it becomes Campus cults and demonic fratanities. Outside the Univesities, they now join an esoteric secret society or an ancient occult society. So the devil is catching them young. The pastors that mis handle deliverance sessions with these kids are not gifted in that area. That they are fake jewels does not mean that diamond is not exsiting

the Ogbanjes and abikus u refer to have been found to be carriers of the sickle cell anaemia.this was not understood by the so called babalawos and dibias so they decide to call it spiritual attacks.therefore in realty there's nothing called ogbanjes and abikus.

I can't stand fake azz Christians like that. And this type of abuse are encouraged by pretentious pastors in ng. Claiming fire and brime stone when there is none, witch-hunting 'youngings' when what is really wrong with the little kid might be something as small as vitamin deficiency resulting in meltdown of behaviour

This branding of innocent children as witches and exposing them to murder and torture is done principally to extort money from the parents The practice is completely barbaric and unacceptable to any half decent human being.


No true preacher would ask for money upfront for deliverance. What those preachers are practising should be termed Mammonism and because a lot of the people are pretend christians they fail to see the harm being done to the children and to Nigerias future.

If anybody has the email address of the christian association of Nigeria ,please post it here so that we can all send our complaints to them by email then they might be able to curb these excesses, abuse of trust and the love of money that has blinded a significant number of the pentecostal movements leaders.

It is diabolical that Nigerians have allowed children to be maltreated to this extent in the name of a religion whose founder specifically stated that he loves children and that they should not be harmed.We should all make a complaint to the church leaders.

By the way people should not bother misquoting that passage about "touch not my annointed" in this thread.That passage is always used to deflect constructive criticism and ward away embarrasment, anyway annointed people should not go about doing things that even unbelievers find sickening.

Helpless victims! Exploited in various ways, if they are not branded witches and wizards, then they are exploited as maids and houseboys. The cycle goes on and on, any takers in defending the rights of children in Nigeria?

I can recall once, during my childhood days in Calabar, one of our neighbors hired a maid to care for her daughter. Then, I heard rumors that she was a witch. This girl was just a child, probably not upto 15 years old. The rumor intensified when one of my neighbor's relative was a little bit under the weather. And I was curious to know, so the girl was just branding her cousin's maid a witch, and all that. I asked for proofs (I was very curious to know how) and she told me that to determine if someone is a witch, or if your pot of soup has been tampered with witchcraft potion (or whatever it is, because I had associated them with poison), you should place your pot of soup, and when the lid blows off or it makes a lot of noise, then in essence that potion had been added. My mother's maid countered it, by suggesting that the way to determine if a plate of food has been tampered with potion of witchcraft is when it is unnecessarily oily. Ok, that got me confused.

So, on a certain day, my neighbors baby was crying uncontrollably and as I observed,  I think she was trying to spit out something. Another kid who stood by there, claimed that she had seen the maid try to shove off something in the girl's mouth, and I think I may have seen it too. But ignorance prevailed on us, and of course, they were screaming in the neighbourhood. The kid who witnessed all this was cautioned by her mother, but the girl was interrogated. She denied vehemently of being a witch, but she was later on sent packing. Now, who knows, if she was just innocent, but branded falsely, because of a hidden fear. And this woman who had hired the maid had lost her mother and father earlier on.

Then in school (and that was another reason why I was very reluctant to eat out), there was a rumor that one of the owners of an FIR (Food is ready) joint was a witch. One student claimed that someone had seen a suspicious object in their food, hence, the owner of the F.I.R was labelled a witch. Even then, some students frequented the restaurant and ironically, the girls would come back and say, "Nke ka kang mma ifot" (meaning I just came back from the restaurant owned by the witch). An irony indeed.

my heart cries for those children and i strongly believe christ sorrows for them.poor kids.our pastors and delivrnce dudes need more enlightment.christ never was violent in delivrance.or maybe such scenes are missing from my bible.

Please! Does anyone know how I can go about adopting a Child in Nigeria? I want to adopt the little girl in green. The last picture in the clip. She's so adorable and i believe I'll make a good father for her. I don't believe in witchcraft and I don't want those people to kill the poor girl. Please I need any help you can offer me. Thanks.

It would seem those witch-hunting deliverance pastors have a different Jesus Christ as their role model and not the one described in Matthew 17: 18-21

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

I am sure you realise that it is the deliverance pastor who is supposed to fast as stated above by Jesus Christ.
Xtians should not be too lazy to read and meditate on the Bible itself deriving their own solid understanding and divine interpretation so as not to be misled by the wolves in sheep's clothing who are so many nowadays.
In particular when a pastor quotes a scripture for you, you should read the preceeding 3/5 verses and the 3/5 verses following to fully understand the context of what the Bible wants you to grasp. Otherwise you may be led by the nose along with these wolves to their destination.
Resolve not to be MUNGU anymore in 2008. AMEN

People, let us see this for what it really is. Its just another avenue to make money for the pastors. And with the kind of people they are dealing with, its all the more pathetic.

I tell people, find a good church, there are false prophets around. How many times do we have to tell people they should be careful of such churches


To Mr Seun
Since it is my choice to believe in God, 'the imaginary thing', why am I not gullible to that kind of church? Why don't I demean a child?

Not such a thing as demons in children, only demons in the people calling themselves men of god who abuse children in the name of religion.

Poor, uneducated, filthy peasants believe in such things. They deserve what they get if they are drawn into the games of the evil called religion and the pedo priests that lead them

I think we should be careful of what we post online, Deliverance service is not joke or emotional activity. Its a spiritual battle, I dont know what you mean by "mistreating", but only God know's who is really serving him, who am I to judge

what are you trying to drive out in a little kid when the problem is nutrient imbalance! or other forms of child abuse.No wonder God wrote his words that she/he's so so sad that she created human being! there is nothing to cast out here, feed the kid balanced diet, less Gaari and kulikuli and see the wonders of good food! the kid will become rational overnight, vibrant, full of energy and developing well. With respect, i beg to differ- there is no way a young kid with little or no sin at all suddenly becoming possessed by the wise serpent, think a little deeper and you realize its all futile effort trying to drive-in or -out what's not there in the first instance. Rather than making it out that the kid is possessed, agree he is different perhaps gifted, pool his natural talents and gifts to productive things, football, gymnastics, athletics, track and fields activities, website development like seun, music, reading, electronics and so on.

seun001:

the Ogbanjes and abikus u refer to have been found to be carriers of the sickle cell anaemia.this was not understood by the so called babalawos and dibias so they decide to call it spiritual attacks.therefore in realty there's nothing called ogbanjes and abikus.

Many Priests and Pastors are well educated! Infact, some are even medical doctors. To compare them with the so called babalawos and dibias is very fair! Good luck to you if you insists that there is nothing like ogbanje and abiku. I know that they exist because I have seen the unfortunate victims but so glad that the power in the blood of Jesus delivered them.

Reverend:

Not such a thing as demons in children, only demons in the people calling themselves men of god who abuse children in the name of religion.

Poor, uneducated, filthy peasants believe in such things. They deserve what they get if they are drawn into the games of the evil called religion and the pedo priests that lead them

You are not sounding like a real Reverend when you use words like"the evil called religion", "filthy peasants", "peudo Priests". Pull out your Bible ,Reverend, and read aloud Matthew 17:18 " AND JESUS REBUKED THE DEMON, AND IT CAME OUT OF HIM AND THE CHILD WAS CURED INSTANTLY". Lesson? The uneducated and filthy peasants in Africa know and believe the Holy Bible more than the educated Reverends and Princes in England.

rotimy this might not be very clear but i will try my utmost so that you can at least understand. so you have seen some abiku and agbanjes now, I'm sure you must have heard and seen 'youngins' with Haemoglobinopathies and other inherited diseases that runs in family and predisposes to dying young resulting in that dreaded repeated cycle of death and tragedy code named agbanje and abiku. trust me God can't safe them because God has not wiped out my sickle red cells even if my faith is as small as a mustard seed. And I'm sure you must have heard and perhaps seen an agbanje or an abiku that finally stayed 'igbonigis' that is deformed with slurred speech on the street too? well that is just due to intolerance of some amino acids in his diet(Inborn Errors Of Metabolism) especially when they were still young and growing leading to a spectrum of behavioural, physical and brain anomalies. Forget about praying to heal a possessed kid and look into the family history and if anyone has had that kind of problem in the past then it is a familiar anomaly (genetic because it runs in the family), the type our fake azz G.O and pastors call familiar spirits.

plz don't think its your prerogative to put on the Armour of faith and fight the fight of salvation even on a public forum that is free for all as long as it sings an all for all anthem. Stop preaching here i willingingly yielded myself to God and not you, nor any pastor did that for me, don't pull any wool on God's eye. You will not be preferentially bless in heaven because you think you had converted 10,000 souls that's pipe dream. When you know the truth and daddy sets you free you are free in deed, excerpt from John' 8:32 & :36

dot2002:

it not because of your preaching or your pastor' that i decided to give holy spirit a chance its because of me!

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.

the problem ist: oju awon enia wa si su gidgidi! Iro nla ni, a ko la oju rara. In Nigeria today, its either jesus this allah that. The last time I was in Nigeria, we couldn't even sleep in our hotel room because of the oloriburuku noise makers. They seems to be making competition in between shouting halelluya and allah akbar. One ist forced to think the foreign gods (Jesus and Allah) that the majority of Nigerians are praying to are deaf. We need to do away from these useless malpractices that has brought us no where. Nigerians, nay Afrikans seems to be full of believers yet, they possess the most criminal mindset on mother earth.

I can not say am holier than all although i do not run after the vanicious gods anymore. I remember in the ealier 70s in Ogudu Lagos that we school children stoned an old woman who was accused of witchery. Although I did not throw a stone at her myself, i indeed witnessed it. I believe the woman must have died later in Ojota. At this time I am talking about, Ojota Ogudu road was a mere foothpath then. I mean, superstition is killing us! Because we are too superstitious, we were able to be made slave of jesus and allah en masse. Over a billion Chinese are no Xtian likewise same number Indians and many more Asians. Therefore, if we go according to the propaganda in the bible and all other fake books, hell has a lot of material to burn for a long long time. We Afrikans just got to grow up. We are the most believing people on earth, yet the poorest and the most corrupt, who all wants to be millionaire instantly.

We must do something about this shit!

I feel for you witnessing such a cruel pelting with stones and wouldn't want to be in your show. I just hope it change your view about life for the better. lol