Branded and Beaten

The children accused of witchcraft and murder

Sitting on a chipped wooden bench, the three-year-old swings her legs excitedly. Her sandals barely touch the floor as she watches a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.

It is hard to believe that Comfort is a witch.

Yet this why she and her two older siblings are now living in a emergency shelter in the city of Calabar, in the southeast corner of Nigeria. Read More

You may have read articles about the spread of the prosperity gospel in Nigeria and other African countries. GAFCON has condemned its spread in Africa and other parts of the world. But traditional African beliefs in witchcraft, magic, and curses are influencing the beliefs and practices of a number of African churches, in particular those associated with the Pentecostal movement. Self-proclaimed "prophets" are taking the place of witch doctors in a growing number of Nigerian communities and exploiting the superstitions of the people in these communities. One of the results is the cruel treatment of young children whom these "prophets" have identified as witches.