This Nigerian 'witch-hunter' is responsible for the abuse of thousands of children

When you think of the phrase "witch-hunter", what comes to mind? Probably a Puritan guy from the 17th century with a pilgrim's hat and buckles on his shoes. The kind of person who unjustly burned innocent peasants alive in some earlier epoch of history, like the characters in Salem in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible. You probably wouldn't think of someone earnestly hunting down agents of Satan in the 21st century. But unfortunately, the truth is that there are still people out there who believe in witches. Worse, they think they should be exterminated - and then they actually follow through with it. Helen Ukpabio is one such contemporary witch hunter. This Nigerian Christian preacher leads the controversial Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, who believe that Satan, and other demonic entities, are capable of manifesting themselves on earth to take possession of children's bodies. These

 

children are dubbed witches

 

or

 

wizards by the LFGM and Ukpabio claims that she and her ministry are the only ones capable of rescuing the affected children from hellish damnation. If you believe in such supernatural forces it's a laudable goal, yet her methods are anything but benign.

The Nigerian children that Ukpabio and her followers condemn as Satanic are subsequently subjected to a horrific litany of abuses and torture: some are splashed with acid or beaten, an attempt to flay the demon out of them. Occasionally those who show signs of improvement are allowed to live and are simply expelled from their communities and shunned by others. But some children are not so lucky. The Human Rights Watch, British Humanist Association and the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network report that the LFGM has killed multiple children who they suspect are possessed. Some are burnt to death, others buried alive. Unfortunately, in many parts of rural Africa, where often babies seldom live to see the age of five, it is easy for Ukpabio to make such claims. In some corners of the Third World, few infants can boast a balanced diet, sanitary living conditions or clean drinking water, so children are often crying, feverish and disturbed. In her book, Unveiling the Mysteries of Witchcraft, Ukpabio writes that children who are: "possessed with black, red and vampire witchcraft spirits" can be identified by features such as "s/he screams at night, cries, is always feverish, suddenly deteriorates in health, puts up an attitude of fear, and may not feed very well," and that children who stamp their feet are "trying to make signs … to communicate with gnomes, the witchcraft spirit in charge of the earth." Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association, has stated that: "The fact that she is threatening to launch a legal claim for half a billion pounds over an alleged distinction between being accused of exorcising 'Satan' or 'Vampires' tells you all you need to know about Mrs Ukpabio. Threats of legal action like this are blatant attempts to silence critics of the harms done by these religious and superstitious beliefs and rituals. Rather than entertaining her vexatious claims in the courts, we believe the UK should be ensuring that Mrs Ukpabio and her ilk are denied entry to our country to protect children from their degrading practices." It's not just children who are

 

susceptible to being preyed upon by religious zealots. In many parts of rural Africa, superstitious bigots persecute a number of minorities and will torture and oppress anyone who does not conform to their standards by accusing them of witchcraft. Groups that have been unjustly targeted include albinos, people with AIDS, the disabled or those who are deformed, old women, unmarried women and homosexuals. These marginalised victims are vilified as scapegoats, since the witch is often spoken of as the epitome of evil in certain African societies, and are blamed for disease, crib deaths, violence, rapes and crop failures, among other maladies.

What's even more alarming is that Mrs Ukpabio isn't the first of her kind; there are many such preachers who travel around the world delivering messages of hate and suspicion to their devoted clergies. Hardly surprising when the job of saving children's souls can be such a profitable enterprise. Mrs Ukpabio has capitalised on her exorcisms and charges parents and concerned communities exorbitant fees in order to deliver them from evil. Witch hunting isn't only a campaign of needless violence; it's a veritable industry. Other Nigerians have condemned Mrs Ukpabio's practices as reprehensible. Nigerian author Professor Wole Soyinka has stated: "The activities of self-styled exorcists who stigmatize children as witches, vampires or whatever, and subject them to sadistic rites of demonic expulsion, are criminal, and constitute a deep embarrassment to the nation. That their activities are carried out under a religious banner expose them as heartless cynics, playing on the irrational fears of the gullible."

Ukpabio has attempted to take legal action against those who seek to defame her. Back in 2014, she sought a libel case against the

 

British Humanist Association (BHA) and the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network for

 

damages of a whopping £500,000,000, claiming vehemently that the BHA had misrepresented her. The BHA has since called her legal case one of libel tourism: an attempt to exploit British libel laws in order to make money. Furthermore, she has also sent out mobs to disrupt protests organised by the noteworthy Nigerian humanist Leo Ingwe and has clashed with numerous fundamentalist organisations in the past. Yet Helen Ukpabio is something of a nemesis. On July 29, 2009, when Igwe asked to make a public speech in which he would: "condemn the abandonment, torture and killing of children alleged to be witches," more than 150

 

members of the Liberty Gospel Church stormed the meeting and attacked him. He was beaten and mugged before he managed to escape to a nearby police station and seek sanctuary. Ukpabio then filed a suit for $1.3 million against the government for protecting Igwe. We have no idea how long these horrific human rights abuses will be perpetuated for, and it's clear that a larger cultural change is needed to save vulnerable minors from being hurt. In the meantime, the most important thing to do is spread awareness and make sure that people know, no matter who they are or where they live, that hurting children is unacceptable. For more information, please visit the official website of the

 

.