HELEN Ukpabio, the demented leader of Nigeria’s Liberty Gospel Church, has brought a lawsuit against humanist Leo Igwe and a number of other parties opposed to her campaign against “witches”, claiming two hundred billion Naira ($800,000 dollars) in damages.
An email we have just received from Igwe reveals that Ukpabio, whose minions disrupted a conference held to oppose her anti-witchcraft activities, is claiming that her church’s rights rights to practice their Christian religious belief relating to witchcraft had been infringed.
Also named in the law suit is the Goverment of Akwa Ibom state, the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police of Cross River State, Sam Ituama, Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network, and Gary Foxcroft of Stepping Stones Nigeria.
The case is due to be heard on December 17.
Ukpabio applied to the Federal High Court in Calabar for the enforcement of her “fundamental” rights. She claimed, among other things, that the conference on Witchcraft and Child Rights, held on July 29 in Calabar – disrupted by her members – and the arrest of church members at the event, constituted an infringement on her rights. (See a video on the attack on the conference below).
Said Igwe:
She asked the court to issue perpetual pemanent restraining me and others from interfering with their practice of Christianity and their deliverance of people with witchcraft; from holding seminars or workshops denouncing the Christian religious belief in witchcraft; and from arresting her and her church members.
Leo Igwe
He added:
Ukpabio and her church members want to evade arrest and prosecution by all means. Otherwise how could one explain the reason behind these frivolous allegations and trumped-up charges. Particularly, how does one explain why this so-called woman of God has gone to court asking that I pay her damages after church members, under her directive, disrupted our conference, beat me up, stole my bag and made away with other personal belongings.
Helen Ukpabio should be ready to face justice and answer for her crimes. She should be ready to pay damages to thousands of children who have been tortured, traumatised, abused and abandoned as a result of her misguided ministry. Helen should be ready to pay for the damage she has done to many homes and households across Nigeria through her witchcraft schemes and other fraudulent activities. She should be ready to pay compensation to all care givers and child rights advocates who have been attacked, harrassed and robbed by her gangs and goons.
A recent documentary, Return to Africa’s Witch Children, reveal some of these atrocities.
So, whatever the mischief this vicious woman and her rag-tag ministry are planning, I am convinced that at the end of the day, reason, justice and human rights will prevail.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:10 am
If this Evil woman’s claim is upheld it will effectively enshrine in law the right to do anything you want to a child under the protective umbrella of religion.
Absolutely sickening.
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:39 am
Did other readers of this blog see the interview with this foul woman on last week’s Dispatches? It would have been funny if she weren’t guilty of perpetrating such unthinkable evil. Suffice it to say that she belongs to the same “Shout-down-your-opponents-and-don’t-give-them-the-opportunity-to-get-a-word-in” school as other such balanced and sane intellectuals as Adolf Hitler and Josef Goebbels. I suspect that it may now feature on YouTube (I’m not posting any more links to that site, as they never work); but, even if it doesn’t, there are plenty of other fascinating vids there, including a recent one showing her absolutely farcical “consecration” by an assorted group of Nigerian nutters. (Demonstrating, once again, my belief that the reason that so many prayers go unanswered is because – being now a very old man – God is extremely deaf. They have to SHOUT AT HIM AT THE VERY TOPS OF THEIR VOICES TO MAKE THEMSELVES HEARD!). Watch it and you’ll see what I mean!!
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Does anyone know: what is the attitude of the Nigerian government to witchcraft? Are they as superstitious as some of their population?
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:48 pm
This sort of thing wonders why we even bothered evolving. We were better off grubbing in the ground and hiding from sabre tooth tigers.
What sort of sick psycho thinks it’s okay to attack children? Even if they are ‘witches’, isn’t their God compassionate enough to take pity on vulnerable kids? Christ on a bike. Makes me despair, it really does.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:02 pm
There was a poor young boy in the documentary who had had acid poured over him by his father because he thought he was bewitched (he wasn’t the only one to suffer this fate, either). He lay on a bed, his head covered in gauze, for a week, until he died. It was almost too much to take in!
“Suffer the little children…”
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
http://www.thepetitionsite.com.....t-campaign
Not sure if it’ll do any good but there’s a petition for signing.
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:35 pm
@rog: I have a sneaky feeling that the Nigerian government know that this is all balderdash, but see the Church as a useful way to control people and ensure their votes. Did you see the documentaries? The regional governor turned up with his entourage, patting the children on their heads and promising to outlaw this child abuse, but shortly afterwards armed police arrived looking for the chap who was running the centre, who had to lock himself in his office and escape through the roof, knowing that if he didn’t he was dead meat! This is exactly the sort of thing that went on in South Africa and the Southern US states in the bad old days, as we well know, and history teaches that when despots show favour then that is the time to be very afraid!!
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
The thing that struck me most about this documentary and its predecessor was the lack of a proper education programme.
Sure, the Stepping Stones charity were doing a fantastic job of representing the children and protecting them from harm but the main thrust of their efforts was spent trying to convince the ignorant villagers that these children were not witches.
The implication there is that witches do still exist but that these children don’t qualify.
How about they start trying to teach these people that there are no such things as witches and that there are natural explanations for anything that might be wrong in their village?
Remove the underlying superstition and the accusations lose their power.
Of course, in order to remove such superstitions the religious missionaries would have to explain why their superstitious beliefs are valid and the villagers’ are not.
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:21 pm
The thing I find most repellent about this woman is, that in addition to spreading this madness, she is making a personal fortune from her publications.
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:30 pm
I say we all pull out, forget about saving Africa, and let the Catholic Church kill off every single one….due to AIDS from religious-induced unprotected sex
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:49 pm
@Kurbster I think there is something very wrong with you, you inhuman toss-pot.