Encomium
‘Please, leave me out of it’
General Overseer, Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, Apostle Helen Ukpabio has allegedly sued two UK based rights organizations, British Humanist Association (BHA) and Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network(WHRIN) for blackmailing her.
The popular film maker is interestingly asking for 500 million pounds (N130 billion) to redeem her battered and maligned image.
But when on Friday, September 4, 2014 ENCOMIUM Weekly contacted Apostle Ukpabio to confirm the case and give us more insight into the matter, she pleaded to be left alone. “Please, go ahead and tell me what you want,” she said.
We did draw her attention to stories that she is in court in the UK to stop some non-governmental organizations, NGOs from spreading lies against her person and deliverance ministry but she was surprisingly not willing to talk about the suit that is generating massive media attention across the globe.
“Please, leave me out of this. Thank you”.
We also sent her an unreplied SMS, cited below:
“Good morning, ma. Did you sue the British Humanist Association (BHA) and the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network (WHRIN). Are you demanding 500 million pounds (130 billion)? Thanks, Uche Olehi, Associate Editor.”
According to the online portal, Premium Time, Apostle Helen Ukpabio who lost four of her siblings not long ago, is in court demanding a whopping N130 billion from the NGOs she accused of tarnishing her image and reputation.
Helen Ukpabio is accusing BHA and WHRIN, of libel. Premium Time claimed the preacher said her teachings that a child “under the age of two” who exhibits certain “symptoms” may be possessed by vampire spirits have been misrepresented by the groups.
“A child under the age of two who is possessed with black, red and vampire witchcraft spirits can be identified by features such as she “screams at night, cries, is always feverish, suddenly deteriorates in health, puts up an attitude of fear, and may not feed very well, ”Premium Time quoted Evangelist Ukpabio.
“The preacher said children who stamp their feet may be “trying to make signs… to communicate with gnomes, the witchcraft spirit in charge of the earth.”
A statement by BHA and WHRIN quoted the renowned evangelist as stating that they had misrepresented her by saying that she ascribed these symptoms to satanic possession and hence had damaged her reputation and livelihood to the sum of half a billion pounds.
Andrew Copson, BHA’s Chief Executive, however, described the legal action against his group as an attempt by Apostle Ukpabio to silence her critics.
“Given her baseless identification of features of ‘possessed children’ and her dangerous and irresponsible teachings, we feel a strong moral duty to point this out and will not be deflected by libel suits from wealthy ‘witch-finders.
“Threats of legal action like this are blatant attempts to silence critics of the harms done by these religious and superstitious beliefs and rituals. Rather than entertaining her vexatious claims in the courts, we believe the UK should be ensuring that Ms Ukpabio and her ilk are denied entry to our country to protect children from their degrading practices,” Copson added.
Gary Foxcroft, Executive Director of WHRIN said that the court case is the latest in a long line of “unsuccessful legal actions” that Helen Ukpabio had pursued against him and other human rights activists.
“Previous cases were thrown out of court in Nigeria but this time she is looking to take action in a UK court,” Mr. Foxcroft said.
“I have no doubt that a judge in the UK will reach the same conclusion as those in Nigeria. Of course, the real question here is whether our government should allow hate preachers like Helen Ukpabio to enter the UK.
In his reaction to the suit, Mark Stephens, the lawyer representing the defendants in the suit, said that British libel laws must never be abused to censor matters of such public importance.
Helen Ukpabio had been criticised by foreign rights groups who are clearly against the gospel (BHA members are atheists). Deploying their international contacts and resources, they have over the years, launched a serious campaign against the preacher. It even got to a point that the Akwa Ibom state Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio had to step into the matter.
The embattled singer and top film producer disclosed this to ENCOMIUM Weekly at a media briefing in Lagos when she launched her album months back.
And now fed up with the groups, Helen Ukpabio has now reportedly sued them, claiming all of N130 billion damages.
On Friday, September 5, 2014, ENCOMIUM Weekly reached out to WHRIN.
We sent the following message to the NGO through their Facebook account, WHRIN Community.
“ENCOMIUM Weekly. Nigeria’s leading celebrity journal wants to confirm if it is true that the General Overseer of Liberty Gospel Church, Apostle Helen Ukpabio joined you in a libel suit with the British Humanist Association (BHA).
When were you served and when would the matter be heard?
You can also forward to us your lawyers’ phone numbers/email address.
Thanks, Uche Olehi, Associate Editor”, our message read.
Similarly, we also forwarded the same mail to WHRIN. But we didn’t get any response from them before going to press.
-UCHE OLEHI
