In a surprise turn of event, parents of children allegedly brutalized by pastor during deliverance programme in a compound in Eneka community in the Ohio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state were reported to have protested against police arrest of the cleric.
Recall that men of the Rivers State Police Command arrested the pastor of a new generation church for allegedly stripping and flogging over 25 children during a deliverance programme in a compound in Eneka community in the Ohio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
The children, most of whom were without clothes, aged between five and 10 years, were reportedly brought to the church during a three-day spiritual cleansing programme.
In a viral video, the pastor identified as Ifediorah Onyeibor Joseph, was seen by our correspondent using palm leaves to whip each of the minors several times on their heads and other parts of their body while they groaned in pain without any chance of escape.
During the flogging spree, the children wailed and cried for help, but the cleric kept using the cane on them freely and afterwards grabbed each by one hand and threw them like a piece of trash to one of his members who caught them in the air.
After catching the children, one of the pastor’s aides then placed all the minors who had been supposedly ‘cleansed’ on one side and waited for the others until the process was complete.
Our correspondent also reports that in the amateur video, one of the parents, who surfaced in the church compound on hearing the wailing of her child, was rebuked and chased back by the pastor for attempting to disrupt the cleansing process.
It was gathered that stripping the minors was part of the cleansing procedure before taking them through the rest of the procedure, which takes about one minute for each child, though some of the children were seen with palm leaves on their hands and heads, while a few adorned white garments.
The state command, confirming the incident in a statement by its spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, on Thursday, said the pastor claimed he was led by the Holy Spirit to carry out the deliverance.
Iringe-Koko further said that acting on credible intelligence operatives, the police operatives stormed the church, arrested the 41-year-old pastor, several members and rescued about 20 children.
The police statement was titled, “Arrest of Pastor and Rescue of Victims in Connection with Minors’ Dehumanisation’.
The statement reads, “The Rivers State Police Command has taken swift action in response to a distressing online video, circulating on social media, depicting the dehumanisation of minors within a church setting, where the presiding pastor, Pastor Ifediorah Onyeibor Joseph, ‘m’, aged 41, has been arrested in connection with the incident.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that Pastor Ifediorah allegedly organised a three-day programme for children in his church, purportedly for “spiritual cleaning,” claiming to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit.
“Upon receiving this information, operatives from the Rivers State Police Command, through coordinated intelligence, arrested the pastor and several church members at the scene.
“A thorough investigation is currently underway to unravel the circumstances surrounding this incident. Further updates will be made public as more information becomes available”.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, has expressed annoyance over the development but called on the public to remain calm and peaceful while an investigation is ongoing.
Adepoju, however, urged members of the public to report any suspicious activity or concern to the nearest police station or other security agencies for prompt action.
He reiterated the command’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens, particularly vulnerable populations such as minors.
However, in a surprising turn of events, several parents of the affected children stormed the Eneka Police Division on Thursday, singing and dancing in support of the pastor, insisting that they had willingly consented to the ritual, adding that there was neither abuse nor inhuman treatment involved.
Speaking to newsmen, one of the parents, simply identified as Ngozi, said the children were undergoing a harmless spiritual exercise.
Pastor Ifediorah, while defending his action, insisted that the ritual was carried out with the full consent of their parents, pointing out that it was purely for the spiritual purification of the children. “I acted under the direction of the Holy Spirit,” he claimed.
Punch
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