Helen Ukpabio is the founder and executive director of the African Evangelical Franchise Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, headquartered in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.
She is often accused of harassing, torturing, and instigating actions that led to the deaths of some children accused of witchcraft which is the major bone of contention even with his followers.
Who is Helen Ukpabio?
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Birth Place: Imo State
- Birth Date: 1969
- Number of children: 3
- Career: “Witch-hunter” Evangelist
- Husband: Dr Elijah Ukpabio
Education
Ukpabio was born in the Nigerian village of Mbente, and she is married to Dr. Elijah Ukpabio. She has a family of three.
She was educated at St. George’s Catholic School, Jinadu Anglican School, and Methodist Girls’ School, all located in south-eastern Nigeria, where she was educated as a child before she started her ministry.
How She Started Her Ministry.
Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries was established in 1992 by Ukpabio to spread her literal interpretations of the Bible to West Africans.
Helen Ukpabio is a household name in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State. Her church is the most prominent religious organization in her area.
It’s no surprise that a controversial minister of the gospel with more than 250 outposts worldwide won’t back down from a fight.
She has engaged different people, being slashed with tongues and all sorts based on her opinion of the scripture.
Acting Career
Helen began her Nollywood career in 1999 and has since appeared in and produced numerous films throughout the industry. Married to a Witch is one of her most popular films, The Road to Hell.’s End Inheritance of the Throne, End of the wicked, and others.
Actors like Kenneth Okonkwo, Saint Obi, Ngozi Ezeonu, and others have worked with Helen. She claims to expose witchcraft practices in her films and the supernatural power of God.
Helen is a gorgeous Nollywood actress with a lot of creativity, talent, and potential. Film producers and directors know she can take on any role they give her because she has a knack for interpreting roles. For the most part, she is known for playing the role of a pastor, deaconess, or Evangelist.
How She “Discovers” Witches
He claims to have been legally wed to the devil as a teenager before being saved from the cult at 17 by the Pentecostal preacher. Critics claim that her deliverance sessions are little more than primitive exorcisms, and she has become an expert in releasing captives.
If a child under the age of two screams, cries and is constantly feverish with declining health, they are a steward of Satan, she tells parents.
”Unveiling the Mysteries of Witchcraft” is one of her books where she posited that “a child under two years of age that cries at night and deteriorates in health is an agent of Satan”.
Why Helen Ukpabio Was Banned From Entering UK in 2014
Worried by what some people called an archaic and devilish evangelism against children, the witch hunter was on April 21, 2014 was banned and deported from the United Kingdom following a rigorous campaign by the UK media.
Activists claim that such beliefs as that of Helen Ukpabio, which are common in some developing countries, can endanger the safety of children.
They had written to the appropriate authorities requesting that the pastor be barred from entering the country after the latest tour.
The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network, and the International Humanist & Ethical Union (IHEU) mention the cases of Victoria Climbié (who died on February 25, 2000, after months of abuse and torture) and Kristy Bamu as examples where witchcraft beliefs played a role in the horrific torture and murder of children in their joint letter to the White House.
Her Views About T.B Joshua Evangelism
Before the demise of Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as T. B. Joshua, on June 5, 2021, the witch-hunter evangelist Helen claimed that the founder of Synagogue, Church of All Nations was deceiving the world through his evangelism.
She told encomium.ng on January 8, 2016, that T.B. Joshua was not of the Lord, “I also said he should stop mixing spiritism with Christianity. I know what he is doing because I have been there before.”
She boasted that she had no regret attacking Joshua, “because He who is in me is greater than he that is in him.”
Helen Ukpabio Death Rumour
In February 2020, it was circulated on social media that the controversial witch-hunter evangelist was dead.
“I have been hearing rumours of my death. Some people have been sending condolence letters to Liberty Gospel Church, Calabar and other branches in the country.”
In a publication by Top Celebrities Magazine, she denied the rumour, saying she had doubled her efforts in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ by embarking on evangelism and open crusades.
Her Views About Devil and Witchcraft
By demonic possession, Ukpabio and her organization believe that Satan can demonstrate himself in children’s bodies and turn them into ‘witches’ or ‘wizards.’
Superstition and witchcraft-related beliefs have helped Helen Ukpabio’s organization grow exponentially in Nigeria and West Africa since its inception.
Several major Liberty Gospel Churches have been established in Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, and Nigeria. And she wrote several books on the subject.
There are many examples of this in her book, Uncovering the Mysteries of Witchcraft: Under the age of two, the child is prone to crying at night, is always feverish and deteriorates suddenly in health; puts on an air of fear, and may not be able to feed properly.
Fighting Back To “Tame” Her Critics
Ukpabio sued the British Humanist Association (BHA) and the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network (WHRIN) for libel in 2014, claiming damages of £500,000,000.
BHA has been accused of misrepresenting Ukpabio by saying that she blamed children’s behavior on Satanic possession when she blamed it on “witchcraft spirits.” Her claims were described by BHA as “libel tourism”.
She sued the people who allowed the police to protect Leo Igwe’s group in 2009 after sending a mob to destabilize a meeting. The dismissal of the lawsuit came quickly because the UK government does not support such a view.
Ukpabio makes up stories about her activities to other groups, including the non-profit organization Stepping Stones Nigeria.
The Home Office revoked her visa, making it impossible for her to enter the United Kingdom after campaigners called for her expulsion from the country in 2014 for child protection reasons.
Final Thought:
No doubt, Helen Ukpabio is one of the most controversial preachers in Nigeria considering the way she subjects children to torture and abuse through her witches-centrered evangelism.
Further Reading:
- Featured Image by Topcelebrities.com.ng
- Crime Investigation. “The Victoria Climbié Case Crime Files”. Crimeandinvestigation.co.uk. Retrieved January 15, 2022
- Richards, Merissa and Davenport, Justin (April 24, 2014). ‘Deport this wicked Nigerian witch-hunter as a danger to children‘. Standard.co.uk. Retrieved January 16, 2022
- Sahara Reporter (August 7, 2009). “The Many Faces of Helen Ukpabio”. Saharareporters.com. Retrieved January 17, 2022