- Video narrator alleged children had been lacerated, maltreated for days, and that blood was found in a basin inside the church.
- Pastor allegedly claimed three-day “spiritual cleaning” of children was inspired by the Holy Spirit, according to police preliminary investigation.
The Rivers state police command has arrested a 41-year-old pastor, Ifediorah Onyeibor Joseph, over the alleged dehumanisation of children in his church.
The arrest followed the circulation of a video online showing at least 20 unclad children kneeling and clutching palm leaves while being flogged with palm fronds.
The footage also showed the minors being tossed, one after the other, to a man and woman dressed in white after being whipped.
A narrator in the video alleged that the children had been lacerated and maltreated for days, with blood seen in a basin.
“Only God knows if they kidnapped these children. There is blood in that basin. They flog these children, naked them… both boys and girls and this is Day 3. The other day, we couldn’t sleep in the night,” the voice said.
“The children are crying. They are beating them as you can see, and this has been going on for days now. The children have marks on their bodies.”
Police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the pastor organised a three-day programme for “spiritual cleaning” of the children.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that Pastor Ifediorah allegedly organised a 3-day programme for children in his Church, purportedly for ‘spiritual cleaning’, claiming to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit,” she said.
“Upon receiving this information, operatives from the Rivers State Police Command through coordinated intelligence, arrested the pastor and several church members at the scene.”
She added that a thorough investigation was underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The commissioner of police, Olugbenga Adepoju, called on the public to remain calm and report any suspicious activities to security agencies.
Discussion about this post