By our reporter| Some of the 77 worshippers rescued from the basement of a church in Ondo State have refused to be reunited with their families.
The worshippers, including children, were rescued from the basement on the premises of The Whole Bible Believers’ Church, also known as Ondo Church, in the Valentino area of Ondo Town last Saturday.
Seventy-seven people comprising 26 children, eight teenagers, and 43 adults were rescued as some of them were reportedly held for about three weeks.
Following their rescue, parents, and relatives of the victims have been visiting the office of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police in Akure to take away their loved ones.
However, a drama played out on Monday when some of the victims refused to go with their families, insisting that they would remain with the pastor.
Funmilayo Odunlami, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) who briefed reporters on the development on Monday said despite different appeals, the victims vowed to remain in police custody until their pastor and his assistant are released.
“Some of the parents said if not for what happened, they were not aware that their children had left school while some said they were aware that their children were in church but didn’t know the church, she said.
“Despite all our thoughts, some of these victims refused to go home, saying they are ready to remain in police custody until their pastor and his assistant are released.
“We are trying to work out modalities on what to do to them to get them rehabilitated. We have over 10 people that refused to go home.”
The PPRO, however, said the pastor, Anifowose, and his 45-year-old assistant, Josiah Peter would soon be charged to court immediately after the completion of their investigation over the incident.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in Ondo, Dr. Juliana Osadahun, who spoke with newsmen, said the government will meet with the police and relatives of the victims to get a proper briefing on the incident and take appropriate actions.
“We just interviewed some of the children who are between aged 11 to 17 years old. The way they spoke seemed like they have been hypnotized. They speak with so much confidence that God will soon come (rapture) and they are on a 7-day camp, that they have not eaten for seven days and they still want to go on fasting.
“What baffles me as a mother is that these children are already hardened from the interview we conducted with them. They are indoctrinated. Some of the parents of the children even told us that they left the church when they started seeing some strange things.
“We also want to know if the Pastor partially believes there should be no education, but his own children are educated and we were made to know that he has two children who are educated and graduated and now equally members of the church.
“The parents also alleged that the children refused to take immunisation and the children confirmed that. They said it is evil to take immunisation.
She continued, “We also want to have a database of the children through family tracing from the church so that we can get how these children were hypnotised and indoctrinated. And if they need rehabilitation, then we would have to go legally by taking custody of the children.
“The way some of the children are talking, some of them should even be taken to rehabilitation homes. They are living in a different world entirely. They look so wired.”
Some of the relatives, who spoke with Channels Television on Monday, said their loved ones must have been hypnotised by the pastor of the church.
The father of one of the victims, Michael Olohunyomi, disclosed that his 21-year-old daughter, Priscilla, had refused to eat since Saturday claiming that the pastor must be released.
Also, a brother to one of the victims, Wande Oladapo who expressed dismay that his 40-years-old brother could be hypnotised said, “My brother has refused to go home after he was released on Saturday. He said he will not leave his pastor alone in the cell.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in Ondo, had on Saturday narrated the events that led to the rescue of the worshippers.
According to her, preliminary investigation revealed that one Josiah Asumosa, an assistant pastor in the church had told members that rapture would take place in April but later said it had been shifted to September and told the young members to obey only their ‘parents in the Lord’.
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