Parents, Human Rights Group Defer On Beating Children For Spiritual Cleansing By Pastor
There was shock and outrage in Rivers State on Friday after parents of several minors filmed being brutalised by a pastor during a so-called “spiritual cleansing” ritual openly defended his actions, insisting they gave their full consent.
The pastor, identified as Ifediorah Joseph, was arrested earlier in the week by the police after disturbing footage showed him flogging multiple children, some stripped naked, during a three-day programme he claimed was meant to “purify” them. The controversial ritual also involved the use of pigeon blood.
In the viral video, a large basin containing a red liquid resembling blood could be seen in the background as toddlers and older children screamed in pain while being whipped inside a church in the Eneka area of Port Harcourt.
Despite widespread condemnation, a group of parents and children stormed the police station in Port Harcourt where the pastor is being held, singing and dancing in solidarity with the embattled cleric.
One parent, speaking to journalists, said her daughter was among those subjected to the ritual. She explained that the message from the pastor was that “death was in the air” and the children needed purification. According to her, the process involved pigeon blood, water and palm fruit.
Officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) condemned the ritual, describing it as a clear case of child abuse.
The Rivers State Coordinator of NAPTIP, Nwamaka Ikediashi, said the parents also require counselling because they are unaware of the implications of their actions.
She explained that the parents should be treated as victims who failed to recognise that their children had been subjected to inhuman treatment and torture. She insisted that with the right awareness and guidance, such harmful practices would not be repeated.
The Rivers State Police Command had earlier confirmed the arrest of Pastor Joseph in a statement issued on Wednesday. The statement assured that the matter was under investigation and that justice would be served. Human rights groups have since called for urgent action, warning that cultural and religious sentiments must not be used as justification for child abuse in the state.
