The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) says the interdisciplinary conference on witchcraft being organised in the university is not a gathering of witches.
In a statement on Monday, the university said Christians will benefit from the programme, and that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) are all invited to partake in it.
Both CAN and PFN called for a cancellation of the conference which they said has to do with witches.
But Egodi Uchendu, director of B.I.C. Ijomah Centre for Policy Studies at the university, organisers of the conference, said in the statement that witchcraft is only “the topic of the academic engagement”.
He said the programme would feature academics reviewing journals and information gathered over the years on witchcraft and should not cause alarm.
“Church pastors discuss witchcraft regularly and preach against it all the time, drawing from their experiences during their training and in their ministries,” he said.
“I am sure the information from this conference and the research findings would assist them in their work for the gospel.
“Surprisingly, some persons, erroneously concluded that only witches can discuss witchcraft. We are not witches. We are professors and scholars who are intrigued by this phenomenon of witchcraft.”
Uchendu said some of the organisers are Christians, and that the conference is “all about the advancement of knowledge”. “The body of Christ generally, including CAN, will also benefit from our findings,” he said, adding: “I invite CAN, PFN and the entire public to attend this conference so that we can all share knowledge on this topic that is already generating some controversy.”
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