Heartbreaking: Two Children Branded Witches, Tied and Beaten Up in Cross River State Narrate Their Shocking Ordeal (Photo)

 

According to reports by CrossRiverWatch, two children accused of witchcraft, Aniema (surname withheld) age 10 and Mary (surname withheld) age 13 have narrated their ordeal and their near death experience in the hands of their accusers, August 2016 in Akpabuyo Local Government of Cross River State. .

 

The children living in Asanting village in Ikono local government area of Akwa Ibom State, said their father relocated them there after their near death experience in the hands of persons they referred to as “Uncles”.

 

Mary who spoke first said, “That faithful day I was taken to Church and accused of being a witch. Uncle Victor asked that I confess that I am a witch or else when we get back to the house he will beat me up and use nails to pierce my body, but I told him that I was not a witch”.

 

She further stated that, “The next day Adiaha Akpan (who is their step sister) said she had a dream where I and Aniema my sister came to take her child away and that I wanted to kill her. She told Uncle Victor about the dream and he came and took us to the bush and started flogging us”.

Aniema added that, “When they went away I managed to untie myself and ran away but a broken bottle pierced my feet but I kept on running. The uncle caught up with me and continued with the flogging using big sticks and I was crying. They took me from one house to the other and some people joined them to flog me.”

 

According to them all manner of cruel methods were used on them to get them to confess to being witches, “they burned a nylon bag and let the flames fall on our skin to make us confess”, said Mary and confirmed by Aniema.

 

The children might have been murdered if not for the timely intervention of Okon Edet Bassey, their guardian, who is a staff of the Cross River State Local Government Service Commission.