NGO Rescues Boy From Claws Of Witch-Hunters

FOR several years, the rights of children have continued to suffer all forms of societal abuses. It is sad to know that few years after the promulgation of the Child Rights Law, its implementation has yet to tame some harmful socio-cultural practices, notably labeling of children as witches, particularly in Akwa-Ibom State.

FOR several years, the rights of children have continued to suffer all forms of societal abuses. It is sad to know that few years after the promulgation of the Child Rights Law, its implementation has yet to tame some harmful socio-cultural practices, notably labeling of children as witches, particularly in Akwa-Ibom State. This practice, which is well ingrained in religion, often gains momentum from many self-styled pastors who ‘exorcise’ these helpless and unfortunate children and influence their parents to throw them into the streets as outcasts.

The cheering news, however, is that a non governmental organisation, Young Humanistas Network and the Child Right And Rehabilitation Network(YHN)/(CRARN) have taken up the fight for children who are stigmatised through witch-hunting. The activity of the organisation was recently brought to the fore in Akwa-Ibom State, when it arrested one Mr. Michael Effiong for stigmatising and abandoning his son, Benjamin Michael Effiong.

The boy was found abandoned in the street by a YHN/CRARN investigation officer, Mr Bassey Antia, who promptly rescued him and reported the matter to the police. Ayobami Ojedokun, the project/centre manager of YHN/ CRARN Stigmatised Children Transit Centre in Eket, Akwa-Ibom State, informed Nigerian Tribune that the decision to take action by arresting the parent is necessary to deter other parents from abandoning their children and wards in the street. Ojedokun said the arrest of the accused person was made possible by the Child Rights Bill passed by the Akwa-Ibom State government to protect children in the state against witch stigmatisation and child abandonment by either parents or wards in the state.

“There is a need to commend both the state government, who made the bill available to safeguard the future of the children in the state, and the police for their prompt response in arresting the accused person immediately the case was reported to them,” he noted.

He observed further that, “This arrest will serve as an example to parents and wards who might be planning on

taking the same course of action as they would know that there is a penalty for their actions against children and that the government is serious in its effort to protect the right of children in the state.”

From preliminary investigations, it was discovered that Benjamin Effiong had previously being rescued from the street by the organisation after he was thrown out and labelled as a witch, but was later re-united with his parent last year. Mr Antia, the YHN investigation officer, said it was saddening that the same boy who was re-united with his parent just last year was already back in the street. “We have taken the child back to the centre for medical care and case filing purpose. Once we are through with the prosecution of the accused person, the child will be transferred to the government centre at Uyo,” he stated.

Bassey added that the child is currently staying at YHN/CRARN Stigmatised Child Transit Centre. In order to curb further menace of parents abandoning their children on the street based on witchcraft accusations, YHN/CRARN has intensified efforts on enlightenment activities across the state. This is done through sponsoring of educative jingles on local broadcasting radio stations in the state and through community advocacy meetings with elders and representatives of the local towns as well as meeting with men and women of God who mostly are culprits at labelling the children as witches.

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"Obasanjo Made Me Governor"

The outspoken Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday shocked many Nigerians when he declared that it was former President Olusegun Obasanjo that made him governor.

According to Akpabio, who spoke at the 75th birthday party organised for Chief Obasanjo in Lagos, it was the former president's insistence on fairness and due process that made it possible for him to become governor, against all odds, especially from enemies within the PDP.

“At that time, I didn’t know anyone and I had no sponsor, but for Baba’s fairness and insistence on fair play and deepening of democracy, I would not have become the governor of the state.

I and the people of Akwa Ibom State are grateful for his fairness and that insistence that the right process should be followed,” the performing governor said.

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VICTORIA AND THE NIGHTMARE OF AKWA IBOM WITCH CHILDREN

My heart bleeds as I read the story of Victoria. How her own parents subjected her to midnight torture; when everywhere has been calmed, waking her up at night and burning her with candle to extract confession. This time not Victoria Climbe, but Victoria Akwa-Ibom. We reject our own for others to pick and make good use of as if our own ignorance is incurable. The story of Akwa Ibom Child Witch Story is an endless one of the levity with which the government subjected it to.

In Akwa Ibom State, it is very terrible situation while our government tries a lot to make a window dressing as if nothing bad is going on; and the very the church that causes this whole problem is trying to blame humanists and atheist groups for the very problem that they initiated in 1999, brainwashing people with films such as "END OF THE WICKED," "ESCAPE ROOT" and "The COVEN" And books like ''The Seat of Satan Exposed'' ''UNVEILING THE MYSTERY OF WITCHCRAFT'' written by Apostle Helen Ukpabio. The latter states, in part: “If a child under the age of two screams in the night, cries and is always feverish with deteriorating health he or she is a servant of Satan.” This is however a common phenomenon in the rustic Nigerian communities where malaria epidemic is nothing to write home about and given the avalanche of mosquitoes from pot holes, stench-emitting blocked gullies and garbage heaps

Years back, we witnessed how aged people were accused of witchcraft, causing unheard-of atrocity were abused, neglected or killed openly, (Remember Akpan Ekwong who led the killings of people in the early eighties?); no child was ever accused of being a witch. But after such films, music and pulpit theology laced with fear of witchcraft and how children have taken over the witch world, the fate of Akwa Ibom child changed for the worst. In every 2 children accused of witchcraft in Nigeria 1 is from Akwa Ibom. Outside Nigeria, in every 4 children accused of witchcraft, 1 is from Akwa Ibom State. But we continue to downplay on the magnitude of this problem and castigate those who dare to work or campaign to reverse this ugly and dangerous trend. Thank God that this very story is not written by an Akwa Ibom person otherwise they would have referred it to blackmailing Akwa Ibom State government at the detriment of child

As I write this piece, inside my mind, I frown at Aniekan Umanah, the present Akwa Ibom State Information Commissioner, for lying to the world that no child has ever being harmed or hurt on account of witchcraft while children continue to face death penalty in churches and their family homes. As we walk the streets daily we see more and more children on the Street because the misinforming, sorry LIAR Commissioner of Orientation and Information has disoriented the people and not help to enlighten his society. I frown at him for not educating the people about the wicked brainwash of these vile and renegade churches.

Some journalists who had reported about the true child witch story to expose the atrocity of these churches and the parents, have been paid by Aniekan Umanah and the Liberty Gospel Church to write a reverse story. With time, I believe we will work with some human right lawyers to face his paid journalists for the monumental deceit. All is not yet Uhuru for them. Let them get paid and tell lies about the fate of children of Akwa Ibom origin. But I must strongly commend some of the journalists and right groups who stood their ground and refused to be paid with blood money to sacrifice our children. Those who see the truth and tell it the way it is; those who have refused to be bought to tell lies. I condemn in the strongest possible terms the News Watch magazine and The News for misleading the public with their paid job to belch cannon of lies about the right groups that work to rescue and protect these vulnerable children. Those who are here knows the truth and cannot be deceived

As I write now, one child is facing jungle justice out there for no crime he or she has committed. Her only crime is that she was born to an Akwa Ibom person, or perhaps in a poor family. The Akwa Ibom Child Fate is that of witch branding, stigmatisation, torture, abandonment, suffocation, trafficking, rituals and DEATH. The government has not done anything to enlighten the folk and religious groups on the superstitious belief of child witchcraft simply because most government officials believe that those children deserve such fate since they are guilty as charged. They pay much attention to buy the media to tell the world that those who campaign for stoppage of child stigmatization; torture and killing are doing so for pecuniary reason without offering an alternative.

Thank goodness, the federal government of Nigeria through Dr Idris Kuta, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development recently issued a statement acknowledging child witch palaver and made a strong condemnation on those stigmatised and torture children in the name of witchcraft.

I just read in media how the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio is working with the state House of Assembly to gag the media with headlines such as “Gov Akpabio’s Akwa Ibom Assembly arrogating Power to Itself to Gag Journalists." “Akwa Ibom Govt moves to gag media over critical reporting of Governor Akpabio”

While I am yet to come to term with this, I will no doubt encourage government to pay attention to the myriads of problem that bedevilled the fate of stigmatised children and do more to curb the menace instead of wasting time establishing repulsive laws that will attract more criticism and cynicism. I agree that the law has been passed since 2008, but how many pastors or parents have been prosecuted. Not a single one! Rather we eulogise them and expect every body to do same. Unfortunate! Apart from the mere arrest and bail-out no one has ever face prosecution. Those who report such pastors to the government or its agency, risk being gunned after, blackmailed, even by same government agents with tacit support from the executive government. Akpabio and his government agents have been very infamous in launching vicious and calumnious attack on the right groups backed up by organisation such as Liberty Gospel Church that invented the child witch imbroglio and indeed phenomenon in Nigeria.

The Story of Victoria from Akwa Ibom State whose parents work in INEC and live in Karu, Abuja tells you that Akwa Ibom Child is not save any where in the world with brainwash launch by the Christian fanatical groups and government inaction or lack of intervention. Victoria's story reminds me of the Good Samaritan who wasn’t a Christian but stopped to rescue the dying Christ. Barrister Aja N. Aja who rescued Victoria is not from Akwa Ibom and may not be a Christian but dovetailed to help Victoria who is an Akwa Ibom Child.

Apart from the Child’s Right and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) whose, founder (Sam Itauma) and members are Christians all other right groups that are today campaigning for the end to Child stigmatisation are not Christian by inclination or concept but they work tirelessly to save the lives of children who are manacled in churches and starved to death in the name of exorcism and the streets. So what the fusses about atheist and humanist groups when Christian groups have failed us? What the fuss when churches have failed us; when pastors, evangelist, Apostles, Bishop, Prophets have failed us?

I recently attended the attended a UNICEF advocacy meeting here in Akwa Ibom, where a government representative stood up and argued that some of the accused children might be witches. If a government official made such remarks in a high profile advocacy meeting like that, what does one expect how such children will be treated by the an ordinary person?

Such helpless children continue to dot the streets, taking refuge in abandoned structures and becoming prey to human traffickers and ritual killers. What could have happed to all these children if these groups did not step up campaigns to protect them? Reporting such abuse, torture or killing of children on the media is seen as fighting the government. The Akwa Ibom government continues to flaunt its bloated ego sweeping such cruelty on children under the carpet with the archaic cliché “Akwa Ibom Ado Ok”. Meaning Akwa Ibom is Ok! And now, it is “the Uncommon Transformation!” But whatever transformation that may have set in, while the human trafficking business in Nigeria or Africa continues to boom because the syndicates know Akwa Ibom State is a repository of abandoned children only compared to Nepal as a whole, makes such transformation a lip-service.

Truly if the Channel News TV that aired Victoria’s story was in Akwa Ibom, it would not have gone unscathed. The TV anchorman would have been under crucible investigation now by the government security agents. No doubt Governor Akpabio is working round the clock to gag the press using the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly as a puppet, defying the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill that was passed into law by the federal government of Nigeria.

While appreciating the fact that state government had enacted the child protection law, I bemoan bitterly as the implementation still remains a mirage. How many of these pastors or parent have so far been prosecuted, apart from the arrest and bail? One strong question that refuses to depart the lips of many is: What would have happened to the thousands of children stigmatised children if the civil society and right groups had taking to sitting on the fence? Clearly, with about 50 thousands churches in Nigeria, only one church is leading a campaign against witch hunting; with zero tolerance to witchcraft belief. This is Solid Rock Kingdom Church with Apostle John Okoriko. Can other churches and pastors borrow a leaf here?

To this end, I wish to dole out my Diadem of Honour to the right groups and civil society organizations with the following acronyms for working hard to save the witch children of Nigeria: CRARN, UNICEF, NAPTIP, SSN, YHN, CEHRD NHM and indeed the initiator of Anti Child Witch-Hunt Campaign Mr. Sam Itauma for donating time, resources and love for the ostracized children right to life.

Peters writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

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Activist mobilises youths to abstain from subsidy protest

Akwa Ibom youths have been urged to accept the removal of subsidy on petrol as the proceeds would bring multiplier effects and benefits to them.

Obong Emmanuel Mbong, a youth activist, gave the advice on Saturday in Eket while addressing youths on the strike called by the organised labour and civil society bodies on the removal of subsidy on fuel prices.

Mbong, who is the Secretary of Eket-based Supreme Council of Youth Leaders, urged the youths to shun violence and await an amicable resolution of the dispute between labour and government that would end the strike.

Youth leaders in Eket, Southern Akwa Ibom, had mobilised the youths in the area to enlighten them on the fuel subsidy debate and to discourage them from joining the strike.

Mbong said that when market forces were allowed to determine the price of petroleum products, the industry would attract private-sector investment in refineries in oil-bearing areas and provide jobs for youths in the area.

He said that youths were the major beneficiaries of the subsidy removal and urged them to resist any attempt to be used to foment trouble by the few who had exploited the nation while the subsidy lasted.

Mbong explained that the subsidy removal would provide more funds for the government for job creation, provision of infrastructure, including electricity and roads, as well as reduction of infant and maternal mortality.(NAN)

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The town where men are forced to marry corpses-good or bad???

Adapted from Allafrica.com.

In Akwa Ibom State a man may have to marry the corpse of his girlfriend, if the culture demands this.After several fruitless efforts to see the Eberefiak Oku Uyo (Clan head of Uyo and custodian of Ibibio culture) in his palace for comments on the matter, one of the Uyo chiefs met at the palace, Chief Effiong Udoh Akpan told Daily Trust "Such marriages are conducted between a boy friend that sees a girl that he likes, invites the girl to his house and decides to live with her in the house without initiating the process of traditional marriage up to the time the girl died while living with him. After fulfilling all the traditional marriage rites, the boy friend is then given the permission by her parents to go ahead and bury her. That is entirely a different procedure.

"The corpse of the lady will be laid in state and the boy friend will come and lie down beside the corpse. He must lie down beside the corpse for a whole night because she is his wife. The boy friend will be locked in a room along with the corpse. He will be responsible for the burial expenses. The following morning they will open the room, and the corpse is taken to the grave for burial. He will buy drinks, cook food and pay the musicians.

"If for any reason the parents of the girl suspect that he is responsible for the death of the girl, either through negligence or any form of cruelty, or physical attack, that is entirely a different thing. All these, marriage after death and the burial happens when the death is believed to be a natural one. If it is not a natural death and the boy is implicated or responsible, some parents settle it physically while, others go to court," he said.

One of the victims of such traditions, Nsikak Imoh said his major downfall in life started when he met his late girl friend Mary Effiong in Kaduna in 2009. "Then I used to sell provisions at Kasuwan Barci in Kaduna. I was in my shop when a Hausa trader came with her to my shop and said see one of your Igbo sisters who is looking for her brother. You know in the north, they term all of us as Igbos. Mary told me that she was actually not looking for any particular person. She said she was in Kaduna to look for admission at Kaduna polytechnic and that the process will take days , so she wanted to see if she can get an Akwa Ibom woman to stay with.

"I hosted her. She got the admission and stayed with me. She was going to the school from my house until she fell ill and died in a hospital. I paid all the medical expenses and arranged for the corpse to be transported to her place at Ibiono Ibom. I knew there will be problems. But because my conscience was clear and looking at the trouble I took and the money I spent, I did not expect the trouble I ran into. On getting to their compound, the parents drove me away with the corpse. I went and deposited the corpse at a morgue first. That was another expense. The four people that accompanied me and the corpse from Kaduna went back. I had to go and mobilize my relations in Uyo to intervene in the matter.

"The oracles were consulted. To be sure I was not implicated in her death, despite the medical and police reports I went with. After some negotiations between my parents and the girls parents, I was meant to marry the corpse, and bury her thereafter. I had to go back to Kaduna to sell all I had to be able to do that. Even at that, I was supported financially by my people, before I could meet some of the necessary demands. I have not recovered financially since then. I have not been able to return to Kaduna since then," he said.

Udoma Akpan Udoma is from Akwa Ibom but based in Benin City, Edo State. Udoma told Daily Trust in Uyo that he has a broken home, his business is fast going down, and he is having a serious mental and psychological trauma following the death a girlfriend he was helping. Udoma said he is married to an Edo lady with four children. He is the proprietor of a private primary and secondary school in Benin.

"I am happily married and living with my family when a female Corp member, Miss Ekaete Usoro was posted to my school for her primary assignment. I discovered that she was from the same Akwa Ibom with me. We started a relationship. But when I realized that my wife was becoming very suspicious about my movement with Ekaete, I rented a room for her at Ikpoba Hills in Benin, far away from our school. When she finished her service early this year, I got a teaching job for her at a friend's school in Benin. It was not possible for me to retain her in my school, because my wife was not comfortable with her.

"Around December last year, she went to her place and brought her younger brother that I admitted into my school, and I paid for WAEC, NECO and JAMB for him. He is currently writing his WAEC. Just last week the brother rushed to me in my school and said the sister was dead. She died when she was returning to Benin from Onitsha, where she went to buy some clothes for sale. I went with the brother to a hospital at Agbor where we identified the corpse, and transferred it to a morgue in Benin. The next day I sent the boy home to go and tell their people what happened. He returned two days later without a word from the family.

"I arranged for vehicles, a burial party (undertakers), a live band, an ambulance to convey the corpse, a medical and police report stating that she died in a motor accident. We arrived here 3 days ago and are yet to be received by the parents. They want to force me to marry and bury the corpse. I cannot do that. I am a Christian. Moreover, I am married and cannot therefore marry anyone either dead or alive. I don't know the confusion they are trying to cause. I was only helping her. I am not responsible for her death. Some people have gone to tell my wife what is happening. She no longer picks my calls," he said.

But Ekaete's elder brother who works at the state secretariat in Uyo, Mr. Usoro Udoh Usoro said the family has no problem with Udoma. "We do not know Udoma. We do not have an in-law by name Udoma. Yes, we have a daughter and sister, Miss Ekaete that resides in Edo. Ekaete is single. She is not married. The family will raise a delegation to go to Edo and trace Ekaete. If we don't find her and anybody said Udoma is keeping her, that is when Udoma will be asked to produce her for us.

"For now, we are not interested in who has died and who has not died. It has not reached that point, and we hope it will not get to that. Our Ekaete is hale and healthy and we do not approve any form of relationship between her and anybody, and no one has the consent of this family to either put Ekaete in family way, or keep custody of her. Yes, he came with a corpse and we asked him to take the corpse away. Our Ekaete is alive and we do not know him to be linked to any of our persons that he will approach us with a corpse. Where and how he takes his corpse is not our business," he said.

Dr Kudirat Sanni is a lecturer at the department of Education foundation, guidance and counselling of the University of Uyo. She has been in Akwa Ibom state for several years, and is familiar with the culture of the people. She said though the culture does not provide any form of punishment for girls whose boy friends die while living with them before they marry, the particular Akwa Ibom culture is aimed at addressing some ills in the society.

"Parents are worried over the attitude of some men that carry and keep girls indefinitely, without marriage. It is worrisome and this culture is targeted at discouraging that. When a man knows that when his girlfriend dies in his custody he will be subjected to all the procedures of marriage to the corpse, as he would have done when the lady is alive, he will either leave her alone or arrange to marry her appropriately. The culture is actually helping to minimize the rate at which men date ladies without marriage," she said.

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