OUR STORIES – EPISODE 3

Narrator: Welcome again to ‘Our Stories’. My name is Abasifreke Moses Akpan.

Today you will listen to the testimony of another child.

Testimony

My name is Enobong Samuel Charles. I am in J.S.I. The name of my school is Girls

High School, Ikot-Ibiu. I am here to tell you the following story.

One day in our house when my mother was dying in 2005, I was living with my

uncle. So that night I was playing with one baby in that our house. After the baby

cried, my uncle said I am the one that make the baby cry so that I will take the tears

and go to witchcraft world. After I came outside, my uncle took wire and started

beating me.

After they took me to the church for the first time, the pastor asked me “Are you a

witch?” I said no, I am not a witch. The pastor said they should take me and go and

when I go, I should not sleep with them again, I should sleep separate. As we were

coming on the way, there was one prophet that lives in our house (compound) that

prophet said “I think you always turn to snake and go to the witchcraft world”. I said

no that I am not a witch. After the prophet said that is what he suggests before he

says that I am not a witch. My uncle started beating me and said that if I don’t tell

the truth, he will kill me that night. After, they tell me to lie down and I lay down.

They took a machete and wanted to cut my neck before I said yes that I am a witch.

After, they took me the second time to the church and the pastor gave me one bottle

of olive oil to drink, and I drank and finished. After, the pastor took the olive oil and

poured it all over my body. And they told me to confess. I said several things that I

didn’t know before my uncle said “So you are the person that tied me in the

witchcraft world. You are the person that let me not have work. You are the person

that held my wife not to give birth to a child.” They beat me that night. On Sunday,

they took me to the church; I went. The pastor removed me and stood me in front of

the church and said that I am a witch. So everybody started fearing me.

That night my uncle took me to my auntie’s house. My auntie said that there is

nothing they will do, that they should send me out of the house. So they sent me out

of the house. I was roaming on the street. As I was roaming, one woman that always

used to give me food, when people come, that woman will say that I am a witch,

that she doesn’t know where I am going to stay. Those people say they know the

place that children always stay. Before one bike take me to the CRARN children

centre.

Narrator: You are listening to ‘Our Stories’. Let’s now listen to another child.

Testimony

My name is Utomobong Michael Asan. I come from Udom Udong Eket Local

Government. I am eleven years old. How I found myself in CRARN is that one day

when I was coming back from school, my sister started to ask us, me and my

brother, because we are twins, whether I am a witch. I said that I am not a witch,

that I don’t know anything they call witch, so she started to ask us, me and my

brother. So I said that I am not a witch, so they say they will beat us before I said

that I am a witch. So they said what did they take and put witch for us – me and my

brother. We said they take apple and put witch for us.

So they took us to church and the pastor prophesied that we are witches. They said

my sister should bring thread and stone. The next day, they took us to the church,

removed our clothes and poured olive oil on our body. They took the thread and tie

on our waist and take the stone and tie also. They said we should go and sleep under

the table. We slept there. After they said we should enter 4 days fasting, so we did.

The pastor said that my sister should bring olive oil, oranges and 10,000 naira.

When my sister brought all those things, they mixed them together and gave us to

drink and we drank. They held a very big stick and said that when we vomit that

thing, they are going to beat us. So we drank that thing and finish. So after we go

and vomit all those things and it stained my clothes. In the night, I did not sleep, I

woke up and go and poo and vomit all those things.

One day, my mother was in Esit Eket, so they took us there to go and stay there. My

grandmother said that we should go and lose her child. So we said that we are not

the one that took my mother to go and tie in witchcraft world. After, my

grandmother started to beat us and said in the morning that she want to go and see

my mother alive. Because there is something that does my mother in the neck, a

very big wound like this (my mother had a very big wound on her neck). My

grandmother said that in the morning, she want to see that thing finish (my

grandmother said that she wants to see that the wound had disappeared). She didn’t

want to give us food, so we said that we are going to lose our mother. In the

morning she came and asked whether we lose our mother? I said yes. She go and

ask my brother, my brother also said yes. My uncle came and asked us also, we say

yes.

So the time they go and look at my mother and they saw that the thing was still

there, they came back and beat us. They used a very big stick and beat us. After,

they took us to our home. So one day, it was Sunday, my brother said that we should

go and wash our face and hands and legs and wear a very nice cloth. He said he is

going to take us to church and deliver us. We didn’t know that he is lying. He took

us to one road; I don’t even know that road before. He wanted to take us and go and

put inside water (drown us). As he was going, fuel finished in the machine

(motorbike) he was driving and he went back. He went back and he said that we

should wait for him; he is going to put fuel in the machine, so we wait, wait and

wait o. We didn’t see him, so we walk and we see one machine (when we see a

motorbike), we will stand and say whether it’s him. We didn’t see him again and we

keep walking. We don’t know the road again. Two men were standing there. They

were driving machine and go and stand there and talk. So we go and ask whether

they know the place, to go to Uduworun, that we went to church and our mother

said that we should go and bring something for her. So they said we should walk

down straight, we will and meet Ikot-Isekon , we should walk down and go.

As we were walking and going, we saw my brother driving cyclist (riding

motorbike) so we reach Uduworun. We just see him driving machine and come. He

said that if me and my brother just cross that house, that he will kill us. Me and my

brother heard him saying that, so we turned back. Me and my brother said there is a

place children always stay because water was worrying us (we were thirsty). So we

came there and stayed in that market. Sir (Mr Sam Ikpe Itauma) saw us and said

those children should take us to CRARN centre. I came here in 2005.

Narrator: We will take a short break now. Don’t go away.

Music Interlude

(Lyrics)

Nobody can change my destiny x3ce

Nobody can change x 2ce

Nobody can change my destiny

Oh no no no no no one x4

Nobody can change my destiny.

Chorus

Testimony

My name is Judith Emmanuel William. I am in Primary 3, I am 10 years old. I

come from Uyo.

One day I was washing plates on Sunday. My mother told me I should come let’s

go to church. So I followed my mother. Then Prophetess come and prophesied

that I am a witch, that my mother should give me fasting. Let my mother not give

me food. Let my mother bring me to that church, so I go to that church. Every

day I was always fasting. I don’t have food to eat. I did dry fasting. After they

say witchcraft has not finished, let me sit again. And I sit. They will give me one

black thing and say let me drink. When I drink, they will put orange in that thing

and say let me drink. When I drink that thing and finish, after they say that I

vomit witch but my sister did not vomit witch and I should not play with my

sister.

So my mother always likes to live in that church. And my mother take me back

and drive me and say let me go to her mother’s house. So I go to her mother’s

house. I go and stay there. My uncle always likes to beat me. He said that I am a

witch, that witch person, when they beat them, they always stop crying (they

don’t cry). That I am a witch and I said am not a witch. Before they said that

anytime they want to pack and leave that house, they will pursue me out of that

house. I always stay there.

After, one day our school children say that I am a witch and that my classmates

should not play with me again. So I always walk in the road. They pursue me.

After, they leave that house and go to another one. After they pursue me and say

that I should not come again. My mother always told me that I should always

come to her place and collect food and eat. Anybody that tell me to pack refuse

and carry bag and drop in his or her house, when I do that, that person will give

me money or food to eat. I always beg people food. They don’t agree to give me

food to eat. There are some people that always like giving me food to eat. After,

my uncle said he did not want to see me in that house again, that I am a witch and

that I should follow my mother. When I followed my mother, my mother will

pursue me. I go and meet my uncle, my uncle will pursue me. After I always

roam about the street like that. I sleep in gutter. Any rain that falls, it come and

pours on me.

Narrator: You have been listening to ‘Our Stories’. Please tune in this same

time next week for another edition of the programme. My name is Abasifreke

Moses Akpan. Thanks to Uncle Tony Okofu for his assistance and to UNICEF

for supporting the programme. The programme was produced by Auntie Mercy

Njoku.