Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The sleepy community of Elume in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State has been jolted. A self-acclaimed pastor (names withheld) allegedly flogged his own son, Faithful to death for allegedly being a wizard.
He was said to be conducting spiritual deliverance on the child and four others when Faithful died after intense flogging with electric cable since December 14, 2019, when they were admitted into the spiritual home for cleansing.
The five-year-old Faithful reportedly gave up the ghost during the tortuous ordeal on February 6, 2020.
Among the five victims suspected to be possessed of evil spirit, three of them, including the deceased Faithful are his children while the other two, Paradise and Wonderful, are the children of a member of his congregation.
Paradise and Wonderful are now in critical condition at the hospital where medics are battling to save their lives as a result of severe injuries sustained during the deliverance sessions.
Meanwhile, one week after the sad incident, the gloomy tale still pervades the nooks and crannies of the agrarian community.
The pastor’s self contained apartment at Ogirisen area of the community where the victims were camped for the cleansing sessions had been deserted. He and his wife have suddenly become fugitives.
A youth leader in the area, who simply identified himself as Francis, gave the names of the victims as Paradise, Faithful, Wonderful, Winner and Goodness, adding that it was only the deceased that was a male among them.
“The incident happened last week Thursday. He (Pastor) tortured his son to death for being a wizard and possessing evil spirits.
“Our people have been sad since the incident happened because we so much trusted him. He killed his own son in the name of deliverance,” Francis alleged.
At the hospital where two of the victims are being treated, a staff who pleaded not to be named in print confirmed the incident.
According to the staff, “Wonderful, the most injured of them lost so much blood when she was rushed here. We did all we could to revive her and she is now gradually responding to treatment.”
One of the injured children, Paradise, while narrating their ordeal, confirmed that they have been under torture since December 14, 2019 over allegation of witchcraft.
“Our big uncle (Pastor) said evil spirits are in our bodies. He also said we are going to coven and that the devil was coming to give us sweet. He used wire to flog us. It was in the process that Faithful died,” she narrated in pains.
Paradise denied ever travelling to any spiritual world, adding that the allegation against her and her siblings was untrue.
But her mother, Mrs. Godspower contradicted her, alleging that the children were possessed of evil spirit, and that prophecies abound that they plotting to kill their own father.
“God revealed to the ‘Man of God’ that the children – Anointing, Paradise, Wonderful and Goodness – are possessed and being given evil sweets. If they are sleeping, they will be asking, ‘have you drink your blood? I have drank my own oh.’
“If they are going to Coven, they will hold groundnut shells on their hands. Anointing told us that the Coven is very beautiful. She said the Coven is finer than this world. She stated that the person they see there told them that he is the god of the whole world, but they don’t see us (the parents) there.
“Our pastor (Amos) now told us that it was my father’s juju that entered the children. The pastor already had done the deliverance for them. It was because they were readmitted into the evil world after they had been delivered that made the man of God to flog them.
“They also lied to the man of God. It was not as if the pastor was doing deliverance with flogging. They told them from the evil world to kill their father as well as to bring my last child for initiation into their Coven,” she claimed.
She could not, however, confirmed if the children had been dispossessed of the evil spirit after the deliverance sessions since December 14, 2019 when they were re-admitted into the spiritual home.
Mrs. Godspower, however, declined to give out the contact of the fugitive pastor and his wife, saying that she no longer has it, and that the pastor travelled to Ondo State with his wife.
She disclosed that she and her husband would not be taking actions against the pastor as the cleric had been of immense support for her family.
When contacted on the incident, the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa said the matter was yet to be reported.