NAPTIP Says Parents Defending Pastor Arrested for Child Abuse Need Counselling
By JOAN MOMOH
PARENTS of children allegedly flogged during a “spiritual cleansing” exercise by a pastor in Rivers State may themselves require counselling, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has said.
Police arrested the pastor, Ifediorah Joseph, for allegedly abusing children during a three-day programme disguised as a “spiritual cleansing.”Following his arrest, some parents and children visited the Port Harcourt police station, singing and dancing in solidarity with the pastor.
Some parents insisted they had given consent for their children to undergo the ritual. One parent explained,
“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.”
However, NAPTIP official Nwamaka Ikediashi told Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday that parents defending the pastor are also victims.
“It is a total case of child abuse, and the parents are victims. They need to understand the implications of this whole thing, and that can only be achieved through counselling,” Ikediashi said.
She emphasized that informed parents would not subject their children to such inhuman treatment and torture, highlighting the need for awareness and protective interventions.
