A cleric has given reasons why the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) cannot go after Nigerian pastors who instigate the branding of children as witches.

Many children in Nigeria, mostly in the South-South states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River, have been beaten, stigmatised, and sent away into the street where they live as an outcast on the accusation of witchcraft.

Such accusation usually stems from a pastor ‘prophesying’ that a ‘witch’ child was responsible for a family misfortune – be it ill-health, job loss, or a business downturn.

Some parents or guardians sometimes go to the extent of setting their children on fire or beheading them.

Akwa Ibom, for instance, has a child rights law which criminalises the branding of children as witches, but there is nothing to indicate the law is effective.

“For a state that has a (Child Rights) law which is supposed to ensure that the right of the child is respected, you still discover daily that so many children are passing through situations that ordinarily they shouldn’t go through. And so, you wonder what has happened to that law,” Uduak Ekong, the chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Akwa Ibom state, said of the situation in the state.

“I’m worried because, for years, I have been expecting that we would see a reduction in the number of children who hawk on the street, for instance. But every day as I drive along the road, I notice that rather than a reduction, it appears to be a thriving enterprise. We have too many children on the street.”

Mrs Ekong spoke at a roundtable on child development hosted by PREMIUM TIMES in Uyo to mark the 2019 Children’s Day.

“Many of these places are not churches; they are magic houses, they are 419 centres,” Cletus Bassey, an archbishop and past chairman of CAN in Akwa Ibom told PREMIUM TIMES, Friday, when asked in a separate interview what the association was doing to deter pastors from accusing children of being witches.

Mr Bassey said, “all kinds of nonsense things” happening in the “magic centres” cannot happen in the church.

“How can you be in a church where they would bring Coke and Fanta and they will say they are doing anointment, then anoint people with Coke and Fanta?

“How do you have a man who says he is a man of God and he would be putting his legs on a woman and would say he is doing deliverance?”

People who run such “centres” are mostly uneducated, lack theological training, and are not members of CAN, Mr Bassey said.

“There’s nothing CAN can do about it, you cannot go to a family in which you are not a member and say ‘sit down here’ or ‘don’t do that again’.

“You don’t have the instruments of taking charge of those things, you are not empowered by the constitution,” he said.

The archbishop said the witchcraft phenomenon was a nationwide thing, and not peculiar to Akwa Ibom.

PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Bassey if he believes in the existence of witchcraft.

“You’ll find it in the Bible. Yes, it exists,” he responded.

“I grew up in a family where my maternal grandfather was a juju doctor and I practised it as a young man, until when I was 17 years old when Jesus came into my life and changed the whole thing about me. So, I have seen both worlds and I understand how it works.”

PREMIUM TIMES further asked him why children from wealthy families are never branded as witches.

“How can their own children be labelled a witch when they themselves don’t go home (village) with them?

“If they carry those children and keep in the village with their grandparents, go back and hear what would have happened after that.”

The archbishop said the deliverance he does for the congregants in his church – the Destiny Mission International, Uyo – is a different type.

“Deliverance is done when the word of God comes. When you preach the word of God and anything that does not agree with that, when the word of God meet with resistance the word of God takes the upper hand, and at that point in time anything can happen.

“I don’t go about, looking for people to cast demons out, I don’t go about looking for people to call witches. No! That’s not my work.

“My work is to preach the word of God. This word of God, the Bible says, is the power of God unto salvation. So there is no other deliverance than the word we preach, it is what brings deliverance.”

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/south-south-regional/331892-why-we-cant-sanction-pastors-who-accuse-children-of-being-witches-former-can-leader.html

Lol anyone that believes there child has magic powers and malicious intent is mentally challenged. I do wonder why the state doesn't enforce law against these idiots. I do remember reading accusing whichcraft someone of whichcraft being illegal anyway.

I support this. It is too much torture for the kids... Wedding MC

I grew up hearing about ogbanje and how most of them are always small toddlers ....

What a useless religion body

MrRhymes101:
I support this. It is too much torture for the kids... Wedding MC

You support what??
Did you even read the post

That is really pathetic. Something has to be done to curb that.

kindly check my signature below to book an expert tutor in any subjects across Nigeria.

Yeepa! They used coke and fanta to anoint people.

I think the problem is beyond what CAN can handle alone. The traditional rulers should do more in that regard because this is more of cultural than religious issue.

Last year the Rwandan Government closed down more than 700 churches and some mosques to check such excesses.

Many children in Nigeria, mostly in the South-South states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River, have been beaten, stigmatised, and sent away into the street where they live as an outcast on the accusation of witchcraft.

Just imagine!
May God save Africa!!
Orisirisi something.....

“If they carry those children and keep in the village with their grandparents, go back and hear what would have happened after that.”

If not for what the Holy Book tells us about leaving these fake men of God for God to judge their matter separately on the last day and not say any negative things against them, we would have typed more.
But we will continue to leave them to God to judge.

What a C.A.N OF WORMS!!

Since witchcraft exists in the bible according to archbishop cletus, and let's face it Christians in Africa live in constant fear of witches, "men of God" justify what they're doing concerning witchcraft as biblical. Without claiming to have the "power" to cast out demons, witches and evil spirits you are doomed as a "man of God" in this part of the world. There's a popular demand for witches and "men of god" are in business precisely for that reason. Take away fear from the minds of people and the church collapses.

Good point

Nothing like witch craft,as for me,i refer witch as politics and way of change memory of humans to think in different way,that is why oyinbo man can,t believe that witch craft is real

Kingpee2:
I grew up hearing about ogbanje and how most of them are always small toddlers ....

Ogbanje is sickle cell anemia

MadamExcellency:


Ogbanje is sickle cell anemia

Few days ago, I was discussing with some people that sickle cell anemia where kids were sickly and mortality rate very high back then it was termed ogbanje, ignorant of it being a genetic disorder.

It's up to the government to act on this cruel Child Abuse going on.... Shame on this continent.

Ignorance is truly darkness.

many things we tag as withcraft due to ignorance have been unraveled to be genetic issues and psychiatric problems...talk of sickle cell, epilepsy, schizophrenia, split personality disorder etc....
Yet a useless man like BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO with his supposed enlightenment still slapped and tortured an innocent girl with evidences captured on video but he is still walking free without being persecuted, even boasting of it.......shameful

post=78782154:

Just imagine!
May God save Africa!!
Orisirisi something.....



If not for what the Holy Book tells us about leaving these fake men of God for God to judge their matter separately on the last day and not say any negative things against them, we would have typed more.
But we will continue to leave them to God to judge.

What a C.A.N OF WORMS!!

Read to comprehend, it is very important.

Don't let your mindless fixation on CAN let you pick quotes from top and bottom to shout 'CAN of worms'. O wu wo ju fun enu eh.

Ayotemide:



Read to comprehend, it is very important.

Don't let your mindless fixation on CAN let you pick quotes from top and bottom to shout 'CAN of worms'. O wu wo ju fun enu eh.

Okay Miss Ayotemide!
Your name sounds beautiful by the way.....even if we don't know what it means.
We love it!
Stay blessed ma!

What hypocrisy; you can release divisive propaganda statements, along ethno-religious fault lines and organise protest marches e.g. against herdsmen/farmer clashes; yet you cannot do the same against fake pastors who tarnish your image as well as exploit your fellow Christians; and worse of all instigate the killing, stigmatisation and abuse of innocent children - haba! what a lame excuse.

I remember while I was in Abuja in 2006, a pastor told my guardians that I was a witch who was diverting their blessings. They were going through a rough time financially so they invited this new pastor to pray for them. When he arrived,the wife introduced me as her nephew.

As a kid, I was surprised at how he arrived at that conclusion because I'm sure I'm not a witch. I asked him if it's possible to be a witch and not know it. I guess his conscience was disturbing him because all he said was if I get to the village, I should tell my parents to take me to a pastor for deliverance. That was the day I was sent back to my village by my guardians.

That experience has changed my mindset about pastors and their prophecies and anytime I remember it, I still feel sad.

I learnt something though. Parents should give birth only to the number of children they can sufficiently cater for. I'm sure if they had said I was their son, the pastor wouldn't have labeled me a witch.
And whenever things are not working well for you, be mindful of how you run to clerics. Talk to God yourself with all sincerity. He hears.

Thats why CAN is a shadow of itself.

Kingpee2:
I grew up hearing about ogbanje and how most of them are always small toddlers ....

Children afflicted with sickle cell disease most likely. Ignorance kills.