EYC also revealed that the victims rescued yesterday, Saturday, July 2, have been kept in the custody of the church for over six months
By Mosope Michaels
Ekimogun Youths Connect (EYC), a unifying body for all the youth organisations in Ondo town has disclosed that scores of kids found in the underground apartment of a church were brainwashed that they were kept in there to meet Jesus Christ in September this year.
The group also revealed that the people held in captivity and rescued yesterday, Saturday, July 2, have been kept in the custody of the church for over six months.
The victims, who were said to be 50, were allegedly kept in the church’s basement until security men freed them and arrested the pastor of the church and his accomplices.
ALSO READ: Police rescue 50 children from an underground cell in Ondo
Those kidnapped and the alleged kidnappers, who are said to be members of the church, were eventually taken to the state police headquarters in Akure the capital of Ondo State for further interrogation.
This was made known in a statement
made available by the president of the EYC, Mr Famakinwa Lucaskakaki, where he claimed his group worked with the police and the Amotekun officers to rescue the victims.
The statement read in part, “About 14:00hrs of yesterday, Friday 1st of July, 2022, I was reliably informed that a particular Church in Valentino, Ondo City, called ‘Ondo Church’, locked people up in the church for over six months, telling them that Jesus Christ will come and meet them by September this year.
“The National President of the Great Constitutional Rights and Justice Forum, in person of Comrade Omotayo Omolayo, was also briefed and we mobilised down to the venue and we met about 50 people locked up in the church.
“The church has rooms where the pastor locked his members. The process of rescuing these ones with the help of Police officers, Amotekun, Atariajanaku, and vigilante group, caused a lot of pandemonium that the people under lock started beating us.
“The pastor, the church workers, and the people under lock have been arrested and whisked to Akure.”
Meanwhile, Police Public Relations Officer in Ondo State, Odunlami Funmilayo, confirmed the Rapture story but said those in captivity included adults.
She said, “Following Intelligence Report gathered by the Police at Fagun Division, Ondo Town, that some children are being harboured at The Whole Bible Believers Church AKA ONDO CHURCH, Valentino area, Ondo Town.
“Policemen were sent to the Church to invite the Pastor and the members of the Church on sighting the Police, attacked them.
Preliminary investigation revealed that one Pastor Josiah Peter Asumosa, an Assistant Pastor in the Church was the one who told the members that Rapture will take place in April but later said it has been changed to September, 2022 and told the young members to obey only their parents in the Lord.
“Another family who was also around during the rescue said their daughter a part 3 student, dropped out of school due to the strange teachings of the Pastor and left home in January, 2022 to start living in the Church.
“In all, Seventy-seven (77) members – Twenty Six (26) children, Eight (8) teenagers, and Forty Three (43) adult members were rescued
from the Church.
“The two (2) Pastors are in Police custody.
” Investigation has commenced and the outcome will be made known to the members of the Public.”
