Aid workers rescue baby accused of witchcraft in Akwa Ibom

Anja Lovén Ringgren Loven, a Danish aid worker, alongside her team, have rescued a malnourished little girl abandoned and left to die in Akwa State.

The little girl, according to Loven, was abandoned after being branded a witch.

Loven, who disclosed this on Thursday, March 28, 2024, via her Twitter handle, stated that the child was found in a near death situation.

Her tweet read: "Yesterday we received a call in a village to rescue a little girl in a very critical condition," she wrote.

"Land of Hope Director of Child Development went with our rescue team to the location.

"Orok was surprised when he saw the girl in a near death situation. She is said to be one year and a few months old.

"The girl was abandoned. Children who are accused of being witches are usually abandoned to die in bushes.

“The girl is now at Land of Hope. Please help her with medical treatments.”

This is, however, not the first rescue mission for Loven.

Last year (2023), Loven shared new photos of a young girl identified as Mary, who was rescued by her team nine years ago after being branded a witch, tortured and abandoned in Akwa Ibom state.

“Can we all agree that children are not witches ?! David Emmanuel Umem and I rescued Mary more than 9 years ago. She was accused of being a witch. We found her half naked in a bush where she was hiding because the local villagers wanted to kill her.

"When we found her she had cuts and bruises from an iron all over her body. She had been tortured and abused.

“Now more than 9 years after we rescued Mary she just wrote the JAMB (Nigeria’s official entrance examination board for students seeking admission to university) and hopefully her score will take her to study law after the summer,” she wrote.

Loven’s posts attracted commendations from X users, who thronged to her timeline to show her words of appreciation.