News
Spiritual Cleansing: Parents of Flogged Children in Rivers are Victims – NAPTIP
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has described the parents defending a Rivers State pastor accused of flogging children during a so-called “spiritual cleansing” as victims who need counselling.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, NAPTIP’s Rivers State Coordinator, Nwamaka Ikediashi, condemned the incident as “a total case of child abuse,” stressing that some parents’ support for the act showed they did not understand its implications.
“The parents are victims and they are supposed to be made to understand the implications of this whole thing, and that can only be made possible via counselling,” Ikediashi said.
The pastor, identified as Ifediorah Joseph, was arrested by police after flogging more than 20 children during a three-day programme in Port Harcourt. He reportedly claimed the act was part of a Holy Spirit-inspired “spiritual cleansing.”
Some parents told journalists they had consented, claiming the ritual performed with pigeon blood, water, and palm fruit was meant to protect their children from an impending threat.
One parent said:
“My daughter was among the children that was purified. The message was that death was in the air, and they should purify the children.”
Following his arrest, footage shared on social media showed some parents and children singing and dancing at the police station in solidarity with the pastor.
Ikediashi maintained that proper awareness and education were crucial to prevent such cases:
“If they did understand, they would not let their children be subjected to such inhuman treatment and torture.”
The Rivers State Police Command confirmed that investigations are ongoing. The rescued children have since been placed under protective care.
