The Ondo State Police Command has revealed that a total of 77 persons, including women and children, were rescued from an underground church in Ondo town, headquarters of Ondo West LGA of Ondo State, on Saturday evening, July 2.
The victims, which include 26 children, 8 teenagers and 43 adult were rescued from a church identified as Whole Bible Believers Church, popularly known as ‘Ondo Church’.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Funmilayo Odunlami, in a statement said the victims were deceived by Pastor David Anifowose and his assistant, Josiah Peter Asumosa.
The two pastors were alleged by the relatives of the people to have hypnotized them and camped them in an isolated apartment within the church located in the Valentino area of Ondo town, on the pretence of religious abduction.
Odunlami disclosed Asumosa had brainwashed the victims that rapture will take place in April which he later said it has been changed to September, 2022.
According to Odunlami, the two pastors were arrested following complaints from some parents of the underaged children camped in the church. The pastor was said to have further told the young members of his church to obey only their “parents in the Lord” and not their biological parents.
Meanwhile, one of the parents, Mrs Jessica Akintemi, whose two girls and their father, Oluwarotimi, had moved to the church ‘to meet Jesus Christ’ said that her two girls had abandoned school since January because the pastors hypnotised them.
“l’ve been married to my husband for 22 years, he is a mathematics teacher in a secondary school in Ondo. He abandoned work and took along my two girls, Ayomide, 15, in SS3 and Olamide, 13, who is in SS2.
The pastors told the congregation that rapture is coming in September and that we should camp in church to receive glorification body to meet Christ when he appears. They also asked students to stop schooling, workers should stop working, wives to leave their husbands and husbands to do same and come to meet their Lord,” she said.
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