From Witch‑Label To Hope‑Label: How Akwa Ibom Govt Snatched A Child From Abuse, Gave Her A Future

For now grown Miss Abigail Okon Edet of Oron Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, life has taken on new meaning after narrowly escaping a tragic fate. Falsely branded a “witch” as a child and allegedly marked for death by her own father, she was rescued through a last-minute intervention by the Akwa Ibom State Government. In this report, INIOBONG EKPONTA explores her upbringing, challenges, educational journey, and the moment the state offered her automatic employment

In Akwa Ibom State, as in some other parts of Nigeria, the tragic labeling of young children as “witches” remains a persistent and disturbing practice. Often fueled by unscrupulous prayer houses, pastors, or traditional practitioners, children, even toddlers, are accused of wielding evil powers, usually blamed for family misfortunes, illness, or unexplained tragedies. These accusations are rarely based on fact, exploiting fear, superstition, and ignorance.

Once branded, children may face neglect, abuse, or even attempts on their lives. The practice thrives in environments where poverty, limited education, and rigid beliefs intersect, leaving the most vulnerable trapped in a cycle of stigma and trauma before they even have a chance to grow up.

Abigail Okon Edet was not a witch. She was a child caught in the dangerous crossfire of ignorance, belief, and betrayal. In a chilling reminder of how superstition can threaten the most vulnerable, the Akwa Ibom State Government stepped in at a critical moment, rescuing her from imminent danger, an intervention that did more than save a life, but interrupted a cycle of abuse fueled by fear.

Beyond the rescue, the case has reignited conversations about child rights, education, and the urgent need to confront superstition with awareness and law. Government representatives say the priority now is rehabilitation, counseling, and ensuring the girl’s access to education and a safe environment, while sending a clear message that the state will act decisively whenever a child’s life is threatened.

Between 2008 and 2010, LEADERSHIP Weekend, reported a disturbing rise in cases of children labeled as “witches” and abandoned by their parents, particularly in Oron, Eket, Esit Eket, and other local government areas of Akwa Ibom State. Many of these children, often from broken homes, were cast onto the streets after fathers, misled by stepmothers or relatives, were convinced the children were evil and responsible for the family’s misfortunes. Such tragic expulsions became a grim daily reality for vulnerable children in the region.

Many of these abandoned children eventually wandered to the state capital, Uyo, where they joined others with similar harrowing tales, forming informal colonies of child beggars. Like the Northern Almajirai, they roamed the streets clutching begging bowls for alms, while their fathers pursued new relationships, exploiting the absence of the children left behind by estranged or displaced mothers.

Down South, these tragic scenarios are often fueled by the connivance of so-called prophets and unscrupulous women, who manipulate overwhelmed fathers. Bewildered by newly found lovers, many men are oblivious that they have fallen prey to charms or schemes designed to turn them against children from their first marriages, branding them as “evil” and unworthy of care.

This was the fate of little Abigail, branded a “child witch” by her father, Okon Edet, and thrown out of their home in Kano State. Recalling the painful memories, she explained that even at a tender age—born at Aminu Kano Hospital—her father accused her of witchcraft, blaming her for his misfortunes following the death of her mother.

This was the fate of little Abigail, branded a “child witch” by her father, Okon Edet, and thrown out of their home in Kano State. Recalling the painful memories, Abigail explained that even at a tender age, after being born at Aminu Kano Hospital, her father accused her of witchcraft, blaming her for his misfortunes following the death of her mother.

Abigail revealed that, fearful of having blood on his hands, her father sent her all the way from Kano to her hometown in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, placing her in the care of his brother with explicit instructions to kill her. By what she calls divine intervention, she narrowly escaped death. After multiple brushes with fatal danger, she was finally rescued at the point of death and raised from toddlerhood to adulthood in a children’s orphanage under the care of the Akwa Ibom State Government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.

For this resilient young woman, luck finally smiled. Defying poverty and the bleak circumstances of her early life, Abigail’s fortunes changed when Governor Pastor Umo Bassey Eno ordered her immediate employment in the State Civil Service following her graduation and completion of the National Youth Service.

The life-changing moment came during the formal opening and inspection of the State Government Pavilion at the 2025 Christmas Unplugged event along Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, when the Governor personally approved her automatic employment.

Exercising his prerogative powers, Governor Eno waived all conditions and approved Abigail’s immediate employment in the State Civil Service, assigning her to the office of the head of the Civil Service for proper mentorship.

“I approve the immediate employment of this young woman into the State Civil Service and direct the head of the Civil Service and the Civil Service Commission to implement this decision without delay,” the Governor declared.

“I am proud of her for rising above difficult circumstances, with government support, to become a graduate. No one should allow the circumstances of birth or life’s challenges to limit their success. Everyone is born with a purpose,” the governor admonished.

He, therefore, urged young people not to be defined or limited by their background, place of origin, or life’s challenges, encouraging them never to give up on life.

However, Miss Abigail, fighting back tears, while sharing her emotional life story, recounted surviving abandonment, rejection, and multiple attempts on her life before being rescued in 2010 by the State Government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, and admitted into the Special Children’s Home, Uyo.

She expressed deep gratitude to Governor Eno for supporting her education after her basic schooling, enabling her to study Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), where she graduated in 2023 and completed her NYSC on August 7, 2025. In an emotion-laden reflection on her tortuous journey, Abigail described her path to freedom as being strewn with thorns.

“I would have been long gone and forgotten. My grave would have been filled with grass by now if not for the intervention of the Government of Akwa Ibom State through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.

“God bless Governor Umo Eno, and his Government. God bless the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare. God bless my fellow siblings in the five government homes. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The Governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to child protection and inclusive governance, describing Abigail’s journey as a powerful testament to the life-changing impact of compassionate leadership. With tears welling in her eyes, Abigail recounted her ordeals to LEADERSHIP Weekend, sharing the hardships she endured and the resilience that carried her through.

“I was born at Aminu Kano Hospital and thrown out by my father after my mother’s death, labeled a witch. My father didn’t want blood on his hands, so he sent me to his brother in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, with instructions to kill me. I was kept in an unfinished building meant for boys to harm me, but God intervened.

“I was later thrown off the Oron Bridge, yet God rescued me again. At one point, I was put on a bus to Lagos and abandoned, but through the driver’s intervention, I was brought back to Uyo.”

“After several attempts on my life, I was taken from Oron to Uyo and abandoned by the roadside. Fortunately, I was rescued by the government and placed in the Special Children’s Home in 2010, where I continued my primary and secondary education.

“Later, I wrote JAMB and gained admission to study Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Uyo. I graduated in 2023, completed my NYSC programme, and officially passed out on August 7 this year.

“I would have been long gone and forgotten, my grave overgrown with grass, if not for the intervention of the Akwa Ibom State Government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.

“God bless the government of Akwa Ibom State, God bless the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, God bless my fellow siblings in the five government homes, and God bless Nigeria. Amen.”

These troubling trends of child abandonment had previously prompted then-Governor Godswill Akpabio to enact the Children’s Rights Law (CRL), holding parents accountable for children cast out due to superstition, fear, or the irrational whims of irresponsible guardians.

At the time, children found roaming the streets during school hours were seized and returned to their parents, who faced legal consequences for failing to ensure their children attended school. This enforcement supported the government’s policy of free and compulsory education, which included free meals for students and subventions to principals and school heads in public primary and secondary schools.

Sadly, Abigail’s story is the exception rather than the rule. Many children accused of witchcraft are not as fortunate to be rescued and continue to suffer abuse, abandonment, or even death at the hands of those who should protect them.

This tragic reality calls on governments across Nigeria to urgently strengthen child protection mechanisms and ensure strict enforcement of laws like the Children’s Rights Law. Meanwhile, perpetrators, including surviving parents who abandon or attempt to harm their children, must be held accountable and discouraged from perpetuating such cruelty.