Ibeno: Police rescues two children from ‘witch’ killers

Men of the Nigeria Police in Eket Divisional Police Headquarters, Akwa Ibom State have rescued two children from the hands of ‘witch’ killers who are in the habit of attacking and killing children abandoned on the streets by their parents after being accused of ‘witchcraft’ in churches and other ‘deliverance’ centres.

The children, male and female, ages 8 and 6 and from Ibeno Local Government Area were rescued by the police on a tip-off by some concerned persons who witnessed how the children were tied to stake for several hours and beaten mercilessly with sticks and cables.
The witnesses said they intervened and took the children to Child’s Right and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN)

“When we got the information through a phone call, we acted swiftly believing that if there’s any delay, we might not meet the kids alive! Fortunately, when
we arrived at the scene, the witch hunters ran away and left the children, so we took them from Ibeno to Eket station and gave them first aid before bringing them to this centre.”

A team of policemen led by Inspector Okoye, while handing over the children to the Administrative Officer of CRARN, Mr. Nsdibe Orok lamented that the issue of child witch stigmatization and torture in Akwa Ibom State still remains a worrying phenomenon and would need a collective and intense effort to quell it.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Inspector Okoye said, “I know there are different challenges across the country, but I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed how children are so targeted in the name of demonic possession as it happens here in recent times” he said.

The officers however restated their commitment towards challenging the menace of child killing and molestation in the name of witchcraft.