By Ihechi Enyinnaya
UNICEF has commended the rescue of 77 hypnotised children abducted and held against their will in Ondo State. UNICEF in a statement on Sunday said:
“Children should not be targets of violence in whatever guise. Violence against children is condemnable and we call on governments to redouble efforts to protect children against all forms of violence. A society’s health is measured by how it treats its children.”
On Saturday, at least 77 persons mostly children were rescued from an underground church at Valentino area of Ondo town, in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State, by the men of state police command.
The victims, comprising 54 adults and 23 children, were allegedly hypnotised, abducted and kept in the underground cell in of the church known as Whole Bible Believer Church by the pastor of the church alongside his assistant.
The assistant pastor, Josiah Peter, claimed rapture was going to take place by September, hence he encouraged the church members to stay behind in the church.
Parading the suspects at command headquarters in Akure yesterday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami, said the victims were camped in the church with the instruction that none of them must go out and that they should expect the second coming of Jesus Christ at any moment. She said: “We had a case of suspected abduction. A parent walked up to a police station on Friday evening and she said some of her children left home since last week but knows where they were. Policemen followed her to the place and they found out that it was a church and attempt to talk to the pastor and invite him over proved abortive and members who were around turned violent by attacking policemen who were there.
“However, at the end of the day, we realised that the church has been keeping the members in an underground room. Basically, what we heard was that the assistant pastor, Josiah, claimed rapture was going to take place by April but later said it has been changed till September. So, he encouraged most of them to stay behind.
“He also brainwashed the children to obey only their parent in the Lord. Aside from that, we also realised that some of these children left home to be in the church since January. Some even left school for that purpose,” the PPRO noted.She added that the suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigation.While reacting, the 45-year-old Assistant Pastor of the Church, Josiah Peter, said he never hypnotised, brainwashed the church members or disconnected any children from their biological parents.