(Photos)4 female children rescued in Akwa Ibom after being branded witches & abandoned by their parents

On October 25th,four female children branded witches were rescued by a good samaritan around 1:00 AM in the night in Abak, Akwa Ibom.

According to Child's Right And Rehabilitation Network (CRARN)

Four female children were yesterday rescued by a good samaritan around 1:00 AM in the night. The children whose origins are yet to be identified said they were told in a prayer house that they were witches, an allegation which compelled their parent to abandoned in another prayers house which they went for deliverance, for years without bringing them food to them.

Their parent later came to the church at the instance of the pastor, pick them and put in a waiting car which drove them to the Abak bridge and dropped them there. The children were malnourished and seen with wounds, bruises, and scars in different parts of their body indicative of variant degrees of torture, which of course are not uncommon with children who suffer similar faith consequent upon witchcraft stigmatization.

"My father said he's afraid of God, he would have killed us as instructed by the prophets." one of the children said.

A right activist said after the rescue:

"Children have continued to be abandoned in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria over witchcraft allegation by parents after desperate and nouveau riche pastors and prophets label witches/wizards and made their parents force them on the streets if not killed. These children were lucky to be rescued yesterday in the wee hours of the night at Abak new bridge otherwise, they would have been picked by the lurking human traffickers or ritual killers who maraud the streets in search of children for diabolic purposes.

"Different states in Nigeria, mostly Akwa Ibom, Cross River and River States, remain the hotbed for children abandonment due to witchcraft accusations. Lagos and Ekiti have also been reported to be in the high rank of witchcraft allegation on children and elderly people in recent times which lead to their death and forceful incapacitation.