The police in Rivers State have arrested a cleric for allegedly camping some children in a church and “dehumanising” them under the guise of “spiritual cleansing.”
In a statement on Wednesday, the police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the cleric, Ifediorah Joseph, has been arrested and the children rescued.
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Ms Iringe-Koko, a superintendent of police, posted the statement on Facebook
In a viral video of the incident posted on Facebook, some minors can be seen kneeling and holding white palm fronds, while a man, apparently the pastor, is using palm fronds to whip them.
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The man is whipping the children, one after the other, after which he throws them to another man.
Three other adults, including a female, are seen assisting the pastor in the “cleansing.” The children could be heard crying as the man whipped them with the palm fronds.
“This is what has been going on for three days now. They bring these children; only God knows if they kidnapped these children or whatever,” someone said in the video.
“This is supposed to be a church. There is blood in that basin, naked, both boys and girls,” a voice over said in the video, referring to an aluminium basin with reddish-coloured contents.
“This is day three. The other day, we couldn’t sleep at night. We initially thought they were having a children’s camp or children’s holiday, but this is out of hand.
This is Eneka in Port Harcourt. They will flog these children, maltreat them, the children are crying as you can see,” the voice over said in the video.
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At least 20 children are seen kneeling in the video as the man whips them using palm fronds, in an apparent “spiritual cleansing.”
“Preliminary investigations reveal that Mr Joseph allegedly organised a 3-day programme for children in his church, purportedly for “spiritual cleaning,” claiming to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit,” the police said in the statement.
“Upon receiving this information, operatives from the command, through coordinated intelligence, arrested the pastor and several church members at the scene.
Ms Iringe-Koko said an investigation is underway to unravel the circumstances surrounding this incident and promised to update the public accordingly.
