About 10 of the victims that were rescued by the men of the Ondo State Police Command from the basement of “The whole Bible Deliverance church, Valentino Area , in Ondo town have refused to go back home with their parents, insisting their pastor be released .
The victims refusal was the arrest and detention of pastor David Anifowose and his assistant, Mr Peter Josiah who had allegedly kept the children in his church basement for over 6 months.
It would be recalled that Precise news online had on Saturday reported that about 50 people were rescued at the instance of a tip off by the Ondo State Police command.
The Ondo state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed that some of the victims did not follow their parents home after the police had asked them to go, insisting that they would not go until their pastor was released from detention.
She said, “Some of the parents said if not for what happened, they were not aware that their children have left school while some said they were aware that their children were in the church but didn’t know the location of the church.
Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami said the command was working in tandem with the Ministry Of Women Affairs of the state to rehabilitate the children.
The state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Juliana Osadahun, who visited the police headquarters to see the victims corroborated the rehabilitation move.
A father of one of the victims, Mr Michael Olorunyomi , who was also at the police command’s headquarters, Akure, on Monday, confirmed that his 21-year-old daughter, Priscilla, had returned home but had refused to eat since Saturday in protest against the pastor’s arrest.
