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Children are targets of Nigerian
witch-hunt |
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The rainy season is over and the Niger Delta is lush
and humid. This southern edge of West Africa, where
Nigeria's wealth pumps out of oil and gas fields to
bypass millions of its poorest people, is a restless
place. In the small delta state of Akwa Ibom, the tension and
the poverty has delivered an opportunity for a
new and terrible phenomenon that is leading to
the abuse and the murder
...detail |
CHILD-WITCHES? with
2-day-old twins,
• Accused says children are
witches and wizards brought to her for healing
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The police at Zone 9 headquarters in Umuahia, Abia
State, have arrested two suspected human traffickers and their
accomplices with one of them caught with two-day-old twin
babies who still had their umbilical cords attached.
The other suspect was nabbed with 37 children believed
by the police to be sold for rituals, but the suspect, Rev.
Dr. (Mrs.) Joy Ugwueze, said the kids were witches and wizards
brought to her church
...detail |
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Children Stories
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On this page you will be able to read the stories of some of
the children at the camp...
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Mary's head shows scars from hot caustic soda
burn
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Mary's Story
Mary Sunday Dan, 11 years, hails from Ibaka, Mbo Local
Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. She is the
only child in the camp whose parents are living
together. Her father is an Evangelist in a Pentecostal
church and the mother is a Deconess.
Mary was found alongside five other children searching
for food from a stinking garbage mount in a market. On
interviewing her, she voluntarily told CRARN the following
story:
" My parents took me to the church for a Tarry Night
(Watch and Pray Night) in January 2003. It was here that
one of the prophetess pronounced that I was a witch, along
with two other children. Since then my parents began to
hate and kept a close watch on me. They accused me and
my brother, Elijah of spiritually destabilising their economic
progress and killing our 3 month old sister. Elijah was
later forced to drink caustic soda. He became ill and
vomited blood and died later.
They also forced me to drink hot soda one midnight but I
refused. They poured it on my head and body
instead. I started screaming and crying. My father
at once took me on a motor bike claiming we were going to the
hospital. He rather dropped me in a far away
forest. After 4 days, a man found me and took back
home. The villagers who saw my situation became
alarmed. They forced my parents out of the village
accusing them of practising real witchcraft. My father
took me on a bike and dropped me in a distant city where I
roamed the street and met many other street children in a big
market.
Every day at midnight a gang of boys would come and
rape us several times and ask our boys to enter people's
stores to steal for them.
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| Udoh, showing brocken arm with open wound
emitting maggots |
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| Helen 5 and Precilia 3 are sisters found in the
bush |
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