Some of the worshippers who were rescued from the basement of a church in Ondo State have refused to be reunited with their families.
Daily Report Nigeria earlier reported that over 77 worshippers, including children, were ‘rescued’ from the basement of a church (The Whole Bible Believers’ Church), also known as Ondo Church, in Valentino area of Ondo Town.
It was gathered that the church was holding a seven-day retreat when the police stormed its premises last Friday. Seventy-seven people comprising 26 children, eight teenagers, and 43 adults were let out as some of them had been reportedly held for about three weeks.
Some of the parents whose children were in the congregation without their consent had reported the case to the police.
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 it was reported that on Monday July 4, as some of the rescued members refused to go with their families.
This made their relatives accuse the Pastor of hypnotizing them.
Speaking to channels televisesion, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in Ondo, Dr Juliana Osadahun said government will meet with the police and relatives of the victims to get a proper briefing on the incident and take appropriate actions.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ondo, Funmilayo Odunlami, 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 postponed to September and told the young members to obey only their ‘parents in the Lord’.
She further said that a family, said their daughter who is in the tertiary institution dropped out of school as a result of the strange teachings of the pastor and left home in January 2022 to live in the church.
