How a local Nigerian magazine and a ‘witchcraft’ church are spreading lies and perpetuating witchcraft scam.

Leo Igwe

My attention was drawn to a story, ‘One Big Scam’ with a rider ‘How a Briton and a Nigerian who run two non govermental organisations are telling barefaced lies to fleece donors over the Akwa Ibom child witchcraft affair’. The story, written by one Babajide Kolade-Otitoju was published in March 8 edition of The News magazine. Babajide, a senior reporter with The News started by explaining how Gary Foxcroft of the UK based charity, the Stepping Stones Nigeria and Sam Ituama of the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network connived to ‘demonise’ Helen Ukpabio and made her a big hate figure around the world.

He said the duo used a documentary which was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK with some doctored portions of Helen’s film, The End of the Wicked, to draw global attention to the witchcraft problem, and raised money which they used to enrich themselves, without taking care of the kids in whose name the money was raised. The News published interviews granted by the governor of Akwa Ibom state, the Commissioner of Police(CP)and Gary Foxcroft.
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Awhile back I wrote about a borderline fraudulent (technically legal but extremely misleading) census the Republican Party was sending out. I learned about it from a letter from Congressman Loebsack of Iowa:

I was very disappointed when I heard from concerned citizens in the 2nd District that Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, has sent a fundraising appeal into our district that looks like an official Census document. This fundraising letter even calls itself a 'Census survey' and asks people to pay for the cost of processing the census form.

The Census is vital for our communities because an accurate count helps ensure that Iowans get adequate funding for schools, roads, and hospitals. It is also critical for flood recovery, and helping our disaster stricken neighbors.

Please look for your official Census in the mail over the next few months. It will not ask for party affiliation or for money.

That the RNC would target our district shows just how determined they are to take back the House. Please stay vigilant and please be in contact if you see any further attempts to mislead our community: info_at_loebsackforcongress.org
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The Nigerian city of Jos once known for its peace and serenity has now become a scene of recurrent ethnoreligious bloodletting. Yesterday, at least 500 persons were reportedly killed in the latest out break of violence in the city. According to eye witnesses, a gang of men suspected to be islamic militants descended on the village of Dogo-Nahawa and attacked the people with matchetes. The militants shot in the air to bring people out of their houses and when they came out, they butchered and beheaded them. Most of the victims were mainly women and children. This latest killing is believed to be a reprisal attack by hausa-fulani muslims who suffered heavy casualties during the riots that broke out in January. In the past 10 years clashes between christian indigenes and muslim settlers have claimed thousands of lives. Attacks and counter attacks between christains and muslims in Jos have erupted several times in the past and are expected to continue in the near future due to the following reasons.
Islamic Imperialism
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Among the most important elected positions are for positions on state boards of education. The Texas board of education is a particularly powerful one that is also dominated by right wing extremists who want to ruin public education and want to mix religion with science. That makes this year's Texas Board of Education races among the most important in the country...and yet are largely ignored.

There are two particular races for progressives to focus on. This is adapted from a Daily Kos diary: (with some additions)

VOTE FOR CHANGE IN NOVEMBER - State Board of Education District 10 and District 5

There is a way to change the direction of the Texas State Board of Education - and the states across the nation which are influenced by this board.

The best way to change this direction is to support and elect the Democratic challengers in these races.

District 10 - Dr. Judy Jennings.

The State Board of Education sets policy for Texas public schools. But Republican board member Cynthia Dunbar calls public education a “subtly deceptive tool of perversion” and likens sending one's children to public school with "throwing them into the enemy's flames."
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I am amazed at the disgusting right wing love fest for Joseph Stack, the terrorist who emulated the 9/11 terrorists when he crashed a plane into an Austin, TX building. Supposedly respectable Republican politicians have glorified this domestic terrorist...as they did with many domestic terrorists in the past. Clearly the right wing long ago ceased to be the law and order party (if they ever were) and have become the party that praises the likes of Timothy McVeigh and Joseph Stack. Remember, Republican idol Ron Paul even praised David Koresh, the insane, child abusing rapist cult leader who died resisting arrest in Waco, TX, as some kind of martyr.

Here is what I wrote recently in my own newsletter:

According to Republicans a Domestic Terrorist is a Hero...why do Republicans hate America and love terrorists so much? Republicans love the guy who committed a terrorist act against America. But let's remember the victim of the attack:

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It astonishes me what idiots the right wing global warming deniers are. In essence they believe that Rush Limbaugh knows more about science than actual climate scientists do. That is the bottom line. The deniers believe that scientific data is not as important as the given word of Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

But Rush Limbaugh and Fox News are scientific illiterates and everything they say denying global warming is made up, either based on no facts whatsoever, or focusing on only isolated data points, ignoring most of the data out there. Science has to include ALL data, not just the data that supports your own faith-based beliefs.

Once, when I was complaining about having to go over the same facts about evolution and global warming over and over again, someone on Daily Kos told me he agreed and put it like this: "It sucks to have to defend the blatantly obvious."

It's like we have to continually review the facts that the earth is round or that the earth goes around the sun rather than the other way around. Science like evolution and climate change is based on the same kinds of scientific work and effort and thought as any science. Global warming denial is based on the same kind of blind refusal to face solid facts as shown by those who deny evolution, deny the earth is round or deny that the earth revolves around the sun.
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