Until the police release their pastors, the children who were among the 77 people freed from a cell of the Whole Bible Believers Church, better known as “Ondo Church,” in the Ondo West Local Government Area, have refused to return home.
As their children, who were allegedly under hypnosis, refused to go home unless their pastors were released, some parents who visited the Ondo police station were in tears.
The parents argued that their children had been subjected to black magic and that a thorough psychological examination was required.
One of the victims’ father, Michael Olohunyomi, claimed that his daughter Priscilla, 21, had been skipping meals since Saturday because she thought the pastor ought to be released.
“I was a member of that church, and I was there for 32 years,” the father said.
“When Peter Josiah was appointed as the church’s assistant pastor, everything about it changed. He introduced harmful heresy,” he added
Wande Oladapo, a victim’s brother, expressed shock that his 40-year-old sibling could be hypnotized, stating, “My brother has refused to go home after he was discharged on Saturday. He vowed not to leave his pastor in the cell unattended.”
Funmilayo Odunlami, the state’s police public relations officer, claimed that attempts to get the victims to leave the station were unsuccessful because they insisted on staying.
Princess Bunmi Osadahun, the state commissioner for women’s affairs and social development, stated that the victims’ rehabilitation was a priority for the state administration.
