The Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare have rescued a child by name Ekemini Abasi Ekannem who was accused of being a witch by his parents. He was badly beaten and macheted by his father and step mother who tied him up and wanted to waste his life before the intervention of their neighbors. The eleven year old Ekemini is currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital Ikot Ekpene.

The permanent secretary of the ministry, Barr Mary Uwa, frowned seriously at this situation where parents abuse their children on count of witchcraft saying that government will prosecute offenders. She reiterated the determination of the state government to protect the interest of children and advised the people not to label children as witches.

In her statement: ‘‘we had this call from the child’s village reporting the case of a father who has macheted his little son, when we arrived at the village we were told that the neighbors have already taken the child to the hospital. As we got to the hospital we saw the boy in a bad state, his body was battered but he is responding to treatment.’’

The head of Surveillance on child trafficking, child abuse and other related matters unit of the ministry Mr. Wisdom Udoke said that the unit is working round the clock to checkmate cases of child abuse, while thanking the doctors and nurses for taking care of Ekemini; Mr. Udoke said that the parents of the boy will be prosecuted. ‘‘Thank God for the neighbors who brought the child to the hospital, and the nurses and the doctors who admitted him and treated the boy up to this level. Meanwhile we are going to get the parents of this child so that they can tell the government why this should be done to this child’’ he stressed.