A Nigerian church accused of linking poor
discipline to witchcraft wants to open an
independent school in Kent.
Winners' Chapel International, which is currently
under investigation by the Charity Commission,
wants to open the school at its Dartford site.
Human rights campaigners and the National
Secular Society are urging the government to
turn down the school bid.
The church, whose leader Bishop David Oyedpo
was filmed accusing a woman of being a witch,
declined an interview.
The organisation, which has its headquarters in
Nigeria, is known as Living Faith Church
Worldwide and also Winners' Chapel International
(WCI).
Bishop Oyedepo, its leader in Nigeria, has been
shown on YouTube slapping a woman and
accusing her of being a witch.
His son David Oyedepo Junior is the pastor at
WCI's European headquarters in Dartford, where
the church organisation wants to open Kingdom
Heritage Model School for children aged four to
seven.
But groups including the National Secular
Society (NSS) have raised concerns amid claims
the church links child "disobedience" to
witchcraft - citing the David Oyedepo Ministries
website, which states "disobedience is as terrible
as witchcraft".
Stephen Evans, from the NSS, said 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."
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