The British Humanist Association has announced that they are being sued by notorious Nigerian “witch hunter”, Helen Ukpabio, for half a billion pounds for alleged libel. The only reasonable response to this situation, in my opinion, is to magnify the criticism of Ukpabio as much as possible.

For those who are not aware, I am also being sued for expressing my critical opinions. You can read the full details here. I have always supported my fellow skeptics in the past when they faced being silenced through legal intimidation, but now I have to disclose that I have a personal connection to this issue as well.

In any case – Ukpabio, in my opinion, represents an extreme version of the harms that result from abject superstition. She considers herself (or at least claims to) a “Lady Apostle” and makes a career out of exorcising children she believes are possessed by spirits.

The basis of her suit is particularly absurd. She claims that she exorcises children “possessed with black, red and vampire witchcraft spirits” and that the BHA claimed she exorcises satanic possession. Apparently this distinction has caused her harm to the tune of half a billion pounds.

I don’t think the BHA has anything to worry about here. Ukpabio’s claim seems to be not only absurd, but factually incorrect. According to Nigeria Films:

“In one of her books, ‘Unveiling The Mysteries of Witchcraft’ Apostle Helen Ukpabio states, ‘If a child under the age of two screams in the night, cries and is always feverish with deteriorating health he or she is a servant of Satan.’ “

Ukpabio’s career is apparently based on stigmatizing children who display either normal childhood behavior or signs of medical illness with the brand of witch. She stokes irrational and superstitious fear and wreaks great harm on her victims.

Further, it seems that she is a thug with a band of thugs that do actual physical harm. Again according to Nigeria Films:

“On July 3, 2009 Ms Ukpabio hired gun men to attack the Child’s Right and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) in Akwa Ibom State, the only children centre in Nigeria that takes care of witch branded children, apparently with the mission to hurt its Director, Mr. Sam Itauma. But when they could not get hold of Itauma who escaped through the roof of his house, they turned their anger on the protesting children of the centre, and beat them up.”

and

“Ms Ukpabio is also known to have reined terror on any dissenting voices of her views. In one of her madness, she reportedly unleashed terror on the Brotherhood of The Cross and Star, in Calabar, a church she broke away from and founded the Liberty Gospel Foundation. During the onslaught, more than two hundred her armed thugs attacked the Brotherhood church with loss of lives and property worth billions of Nairaira.”

Ukpabio is attempting to spread her ministry throughout the world. She was deported earlier this year from the UK by the UK Homeland Security in the middle of a string of exorcism sessions. Her 2012 visit to Houston, where there is a large Nigerian population, was widely protested.

Her critics (and I include myself among them) accuse her of exploiting children and putting them at great harm.

Human right activists have been very critical of this view and argued that Ms Ukpabio who is a trained nurse should know that, Nigeria, like other African countries is known for mosquitoes spread and poor health condition; as her view has compelled poor and ignorant parents to abandon such children or even kill them.

In an enlightened society, such behavior should be completely unacceptable.

There is an international protest against Ukpabio. You can follow it at the Facebook page – Stand Against Helen Ukpabio.