The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a Port Harcourt-based pastor and four church members after a disturbing video surfaced online showing a group of unclad minors being whipped in what appeared to be a religious ritual.
The suspect, identified as Pastor Ifediorah Joseph, of Our Lord Victory Covenant Mission Church, Eneka, allegedly organised a three-day program for children, claiming it was a “spiritual cleansing” inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Viral Video Sparks Outrage
The amateur footage, which has spread rapidly across social media, shows the 41-year-old pastor striking the children while other church members look on.
The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, ordered an immediate investigation after the video was brought to the attention of authorities.
Police operatives, acting on intelligence, stormed the church premises and arrested the pastor alongside four members believed to be involved in the incident.
Parents Back Pastor
In a surprising turn of events, several parents of the affected children stormed the Eneka Police Division, singing and dancing in support of the pastor.
They insisted that they had willingly consented to the ritual and claimed there was no abuse involved.
One of the parents, Mrs Ngozi Uzoma, told journalists that the children were undergoing a harmless spiritual exercise.
Pastor Defends Actions
Speaking to the press, Pastor Ifediorah insisted that the ritual was carried out with the parents’ full consent and was purely for the children’s spiritual purification.
“I acted under the direction of the Holy Spirit,” he said when asked whether using a pigeon’s blood to bathe the children was healthy for them.
NAPTIP Joins Probe
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has joined the investigation.
NAPTIP’s Intelligence Officer, Komani Timipire, said that parental consent does not override the rights of a child, and the matter was being treated as potential child abuse.
The Rivers State Police Command said investigations were ongoing and urged the public to remain calm while promising to safeguard the welfare and dignity of minors.
Policemen had arrested three leaders of the church.
The Divisional Police Officer of Eneka Police Station, Akpo Lewis, confirmed to Channels Television the arrest of Pastor Joseph, the church’s welfare secretary, Promise Nwikegha, and a minister, Deborah Ohia.
The now-viral video shows children, aged between five and nine, being struck with palm tree leaves by the cleric during a church ceremony.
In the footage, the cleric whips each child multiple times before handing them over to another church member, who directs them to a separate group described as “cleansed.”
