Nigerian Mother Sets Nine-Year-Old Daughter on Fire for Being a 'Witch'

An overzealous mother in the port city of Lagos, Nigeria set her nine-year-old daughter ablaze, 'to cleanse her off witchcraft'.

The 37-year-old woman is known around the area for being a devote Christian and it is claimed that she is a prophetess. On Tuesday morning, the mother while praying asked her nine-year-old daughter to join her. During the prayer session, the mother reportedly told the young girl that "a demon that could turn her into a witch has taken possession of her".

Following this, the mother poured kerosene on the child and set her on fire, in order to clean her soul. However, the neighbors heard the child screaming and came rushing to see the girl running out of the house in flames. The neighbors put out the fire and rushed the child to the hospital, where her condition is understood to be critical.

The mother told the police that she was simply obeying God's instruction.

"I was only obeying God's instruction. I had a vision while praying that my daughter is a witch. And when I prayed to God over it, I received an instruction through the Holy Spirit to burn my daughter's body in order to deliver her from the evil," the mother, who has been identified as Bose Oluwole, told the police, reported VanGuard.

The mother has been charged with attempted murder. However, she has reportedly pleaded not guilty before the judge. The trial of the case is expected to start in June.