by Kolapo Olapoju

In a report where it labelled Winners Chapel, ‘a witchcraft church’, the BBC has said that human rights groups across the UK are campaigning against the bid of Bishop David Oyedepo to open a school in Kent.

The BBC wrote, “A Nigerian church accused of linking poor discipline to witchcraft wants to open an independent school in Kent. The church, whose leader Bishop David Oyedpo was filmed accusing a woman of being a witch, declined an interview.”

The report revealed that the National Secular Society (NSS) and several human rights campaigners are urging the United Kingdom government to turn down the request of Oyedepo’s church to open the school at its Dartford site.

The General Overseer’s son, David Oyedepo Jnr, is the pastor at WCI’s European headquarters in Dartford, where the church intends to open ‘Kingdom Heritage Model School’ for children aged four to seven.

Stephen Evans, a representative of the NSS told BBC that it was unadvisable to allow Oyedepo to open a school for children, going by his antecedents with them. He stated that the Metropolitan Police had investigated 27 cases of child abuse related to witchcraft this year.

He said, “There’s a need to be vigilant and there’s a need to tackle this. You don’t do this by allowing organisations that believe in witchcraft and are associated with witch-hunting to open in the UK.”

Human rights activist and Nigerian Humanist Movement founder Leo Igwe said the church obtained money from its members using what it called ‘a prosperity-in-gospel narrative’. He stated, “They make this money using this narrative and then they use it to establish business, universities, schools.”

However, the Evangelical Alliance, which represents the UK’s evangelical Christians, appears to be a proponent of the plan to open the school.

Yemi Adedeji, spokesperson for the EA said, “The context of what happens in Nigeria and what happens here is very different. Most parents want their children to go to a faith-based school because of moral issues and I think we must salute that.”

Meanwhile, the Department for Education (DfE) said it had received an application to stop the bid, and was fully aware of concerns raised, while adding that proper investigations would be carried out before granting the request, or otherwise.

A spokesperson said: “All independent schools must meet stringent standards before they are registered. These include tough rules on welfare and safeguarding.
Police intelligence and criminal record checks are also carried out on the proprietor of the school, and any links to organisations which suggest the school might not meet the standards are investigated.”

Kolapo Olapoju