A Rivers State based Pastor identified Ifediorah Joseph seen whipping a group of naked children in a viral video has said he was acting on the instruction of the holy spirit.
The video was allegedly recorded at a three-day programme organised by his for children, tagged “spiritual cleansing” inspired by the Holy Spirit.
In the viral video, the Pastor was shown beating the children believed to be between five and nine years old with palm fronds during a church ceremony.
In the footage, the cleric whips each child multiple times with the bunch of palm fronds after which he handed them another group where they are cleansed as “cleansed” with a watery substance believed to contain blood of pigeon.
The video had sparked outrage on the social media and in reaction, the national headquarters of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) directed its Rivers State office to investigate the video.
However, Pastor Ifediorah Joseph who is the head of Our Lord Victory Covenant Mission Church in Eneka area of Port Harcourt was arrested by the police on Wednesday in reaction to the viral video.
He was arrested alongside four members of his church based on the instruction of Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju
The others arrested with the Pastor are the church’s welfare secretary, Promise Nwikegha, and a minister, Deborah Ohia.
Speaking to journalist at the Rivers Police Headquarters in Port Harcourt on Thursday, the Pastor defended his action.
He also received the support of some parents present at the police station.
According to the Pastor, the ritual was performed on the students with the consent of their parents.
He also said the ritual was for the children’s spiritual purification.
“I acted under the direction of the Holy Spirit,” he said responded to question on whether he thinks using pigeon’s blood to bathe the children was healthy for them.
Some of the parents of the children who stormed the Eneka Police Division sang and danced in support of the pastor.
They also confirmed that they submitted their children for the ritual while insisting that what the Pastor was caught doing on viral video does not amount to child abuse
Mrs Ngozi Uzoma, one of the parents told journalists that the children were undergoing a harmless spiritual exercise.
Police spokesperson SP Grace Iringe-Koko had in a statement on Wednesday announced the arrest of the Pastor.
“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 (41), has been arrested in connection with the incident,” she said in a statement.
Iringe-Koko said preliminary investigations revealed that the children were allegedly subjected to a three-day programme for “spiritual cleaning” claimed by the pastor to be inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The Police spokesperson added: “Preliminary investigations reveal that Pastor Ifediorah allegedly organised a 3-day program for children in his Church, purportedly for spiritual cleaning, claiming to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit.”
According to the statement, neighbours, who could not bear what they witnessed, reportedly recorded the incident and shared it on social media in hopes of prompting a rescue operation.
Iringe-Koko disclosed that police operatives, acting on intelligence, arrested the pastor and several church members at the scene. She said a “thorough investigation is currently underway to unravel the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
The State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, called on the public to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies.
He urged: “Members of the public should report any suspicious activities or concerns to the nearest Police Station or other Security agencies.”
Adepoju reiterated the command’s “unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens, particularly vulnerable populations such as minors,” and vowed that the police will “continue to work tirelessly to address any issues that may compromise the security and dignity of individuals within the State.”