Life was tough for my father, and he always looked for who to blame. He patronised several prayer houses for a solution. One of them declared I was a witch and the cause of his misfortune. I never knew peace from that moment.
He beat me with chains to make me confess. Then the prophet proffered an alternative—crude oil and salt—to make me vomit the witchcraft. For a long time, I drank this mixture while bathing with a soap my father had bought. I applied the crude oil on my body as an ointment. Sometimes, I was given something peppery to chew. It made me stool blood, which the prophet confirmed was the expulsion of the witchcraft. I was forced to do dry fasting and was not allowed to sleep some nights to prevent me from flying. All these took place between the ages of 10 and 11.
Whenever anything went missing at home, I was the first suspect. My father would command me to fly to the coven to get the missing items while giving me the beating of my life. He would force me to sing, ‘Oh Lord, I am a sinner. Wash me, cleanse me. I am a sinner’, to ensure my entrance into heaven if I died during the beating.
My mother had no say in the marriage; she was so scared. She once drank the crude oil because of the fear that I had passed the witchcraft to her. This made her very ill.
I was not allowed to have friends, and everyone who came around me was notified that I was a witch. The prophet said my face was like a dog’s because of witchcraft. I looked thin because I wasn’t eating well. My survival is a miracle.
This terrible experience made me detest my father. I hate blind religion because I have seen first-hand what it does to people. I have a family now, and I still cannot fathom why my parents treated me so cruelly. Unfortunately, many children are going through a similar experience. I hope that as soon as I set up the necessary structure, I can rescue them and give them a better life.