The attention of the Advocacy for Alleged Witches has been drawn to a reported threat by Nigeria’s most notorious witch hunter, Helen Ukpabio to sue a singer Emoseh Khamofu, popularly known as Bloody Civilian, for alleged defamation. Ukpabio is demanding N200 billion in damages.
As reported, Ukpabio’s legal counsel, Victor Ukutt has in a letter sent to the singer, demanded “Public Apology and Compensation for the Libel of Imaobong Elijah Ukpabio and Apostle Helen Ukpabio.”
As noted by the Punch, “the controversy began when an X (formerly Twitter) user identified as @OneJoblessBoy posted the pastor’s photo on Friday with the caption, “Pastor Helen Ukpabio turns 60 today.”
The tweet garnered significant attention, amassing 4.6 million views and a flurry of reactions.
Bloody Civilian later retweeted the post with the claim, “She literally made people burn their children alive.”
According to the Punch, this comment sparked a response from the pastor’s daughter, Imaobong Ukpabio, who tweeted under the handle @ima_Elijah, demanding that Bloody Civilian delete the post within five hours or face legal action”.
In the letter, Ukutt demanded a written apology from the singer. He asked her to publish it on her social media platforms and local and international media.
In addition, the letter states: “Take notice that in consideration of this wicked and libelous publication, we demand from you the sum of two hundred billion naira (N200,000,000,000) as damages for the distress, trauma, pain, and anguish caused to our clients. This sum must be channeled to our chambers within one week of receiving this letter.”
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches commends Bloody Civillan for calling out Ukpabio and her witch-hunting. AfAW objects to the alleged defamation and the lawsuit because what Bloody Civilian stated was a fact.
Ukpabio’s witch-hunting ministry has destroyed lives and wreaked havoc on many families. Helen Ukpabio has, through her witchcraft preachings and exorcisms, motivated and made parents and guardians to abuse, attack, and murder their children.
In her movies, books, and sermons, she attributes child development issues, poverty, business failures, accidents and other misfortunes to witchcraft.
Ukpabio claims to have the power to identify and ‘deliver’ alleged witches. Combating supposed ‘witchcraft attacks’ in families and society is her Liberty Gospel Church’s mission.
Ukpabio is threatening legal action to suppress these sordid facts. It must be recalled that Ukpabio has sued or threatened to sue anti-witch hunt activists over the years. She uses legal suits and threats to silence, intimidate, distract attention, evade justice and prevent public scrutiny of her witch-hunting activities.
In 2009, Ukpabio used a legal suit to stop police investigation and prosecution after some Liberty church members sent by her, invaded a child rights event and beat up the organisers in Calabar. As in the case of Bloody Civilian, she is always accusing her critics of defamation and demanding huge sums for damages.
The Advocacy for Alleged Witches states that Helen Ukpabio is the one to be sued for defamation; she is the one to pay compensation because Ukpabio has, through her witch-hunting ministry, damaged the reputation of millions of persons including children across Nigeria and beyond. Her witchcraft evangelism has poisoned family relationships turning parents against their children and children against their parents.
Ukpabio has misinformed and misled many people. She has caused distress, trauma, and pain to innocent people who are mischaracterized as witches, and subsequently tortured, killed, or abandoned to die. Ukpabio’s witch-hunting gospel has been linked to child witch stigmatization in the region as noted by Bloody Civilian.
Helen Ukpabio, not Bloody Civilian, should be sued. She should be prosecuted and held to account for her witch-hunting activities. Ukpabio should be brought to justice, and made to answer for her crimes, for all the infractions that she has committed, perpetrated, enabled, aided, or abetted over the years.
Leo Igwe is a human rights activist and the founder of the Nigerian Humanist Movement. He directs the Advocacy for Alleged Witches, the Critical Thinking Social Empowerment Foundation and was the Western and Southern African representative to IHEU, the International Humanist and Ethical Union. He can be reached by email HERE.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
