The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has called for counselling for parents who defended a pastor accused of brutalising children during a so-called “spiritual cleansing” in Rivers State.
Nwamaka Ikediashi, a NAPTIP official in the state, made the call on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief while giving an update on the incident and the agency’s response.
“It is a total case of child abuse, and the parents are victims,” Ikediashi said. “They are supposed to be made to understand the implications of this whole thing, and that can only be made possible via counselling.”
The pastor, identified as 41-year-old Ifediorah Joseph, was arrested by the police after a viral video showed him flogging unclad minors during a three-day programme in the guise of “spiritual cleansing.”
Shockingly, following his arrest, some of the children and their parents stormed the police station in Port Harcourt, singing and dancing in solidarity with the suspect.
The parents insisted they had given their full consent for the pastor’s actions. One mother told journalists, “My daughter was among the children that was purified. The message was that death was in the air, and they should purify the children. They did the purification with pigeon blood, water and palm fruit.”
Ikediashi condemned the act, stressing that ignorance played a key role in the parents’ stance.
“The parents are victims as well because they do not understand the implications, but if they did understand, they would not let their children be subjected to such inhuman treatment and torture,” she said.
LEADERSHIP reports that incident has sparked outrage among child rights advocates, with many calling for stronger awareness campaigns to combat harmful traditional and religious practices that endanger minors.
