Metro
I chained, starved my son to cast stealing spirit from him –Pastor Francis
A pastor of the The Key Joy Celestial Church, Francis Taiwo, who chained and starved his son for more than a month, has confessed to the act.
He however said he chained and starved his son, Korede Taiwo in order to cast out the spirit of stealing, which was propelled by the devil from him.
It would be recalled that the 40-year-old pastor was apprehended by the police from the Onipanu division on Sunday at his church – CCC, Key of Joy Parish – in Ajibawo, Atan, in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, after he took to his heels when the 9-year old boy was rescued.
In his statement to the police, Francis, who hails from Benin Republic, said: “I was ordained a pastor in the CCC in 2012. I had divorced two wives, including Korede’s mother, Maria; she is late now. She had four children for me – two boys and two girls – before she divorced me in 2007 after she gave birth to Korede. I chained Korede because he is possessed. An evil spirit makes him to steal. He needs deliverance. His siblings are not living with me.”
Speaking on the inhuman treatment Francis usually visited on the little boy, a resident of the Ajibawo area and neighbors to the Taiwos who identified himself only as Elijah, said Francis had been warned on several occasions against unleashing violence on the victim.
Read also: Father of chained 9-year-old boy arrested
He said: “His father has been chaining him for the past six months. He would chain him for hours and release him. His grouse is that Korede steals and runs away from home and he thinks a spirit is controlling the child. He once took him to a river in chains for deliverance.”
The case, according to the Ogun State police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, had been transferred to the child labour unit of the command for investigation.
“The case has been transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the command for necessary investigation and actions as directed by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of zone 2, AIG Abdulmajid Ali,” he said.
By Timothy Enietan-Matthews
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