77 rescued from underground apartment of church, as arrested pastors speak on ‘second coming of Jesus Christ’

Twenty five children and 52 adults have been rescued from an underground apartment of a church in Valentino Area, Ondo City, Ondo State.
On Friday, detectives from the Omimode Police Division in Ondo City stormed the Whole Bible Believers Church premises to rescue the 77 ‘worshippers’.
Majority of them looked hypnotised.
Some residents said the founder of the church is dead and it is being managed by two Pastors.
The clerics and some church members were taken away with the children.
Those rescued and the Pastors slept at Omimode Police Station on Friday.
They were heavily guarded.
Hundreds of people were seen at Omimode Police Station on Saturday morning, discussing the development.
Later in the day, the children, adults and clerics were moved to the State Police Headquarters in Akure in a convoy of vehicles under heavy security.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the rescue and arrest.
A police source told Freedom Online that a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) “is already in charge of the case”.
A teacher, who told reporters she was a member of the church, said she left when she noticed some ‘strange behaviour’.
She also said all attempts to take her daughter from the church proved abortive as she refused to leave.
“I even went there to plead with the Pastors but other children beat me up and threw me out of the place”, she told reporters.
Freedom Online also learned that a case is already in court between some parents and the church “because their children have refused to leave the church”.
One of the parents said: “They were brainwashed that everybody must be in the church because Jesus was coming. The children and adults were told that Jesus would come in April this year.
“When that did not happen, the Pastors told them Jesus would now come in September. The children have been completely hypnotised. We plead with the Ondo State Government to help us because this is not ordinary”.
There was also drama at the Police Headquarters, along Igbatoro, Akure on Saturday, as the children refused to follow their parents, insisting that they preferred to return to the church.
The Pastor in charge of the church, David Anifowose, said he received the instruction from God that “we should camp in the church until the second coming of Jesus Christ.
“I was the one that received the instruction from God that the people of the church can stay in the church and wait for the second coming. And my members were waiting for the second coming of Jesus when the policemen invaded the church and arrested us.”
The assistant pastor of the church, Peter Josiah, said he was only teaching them pure scripture.
“I was called by God to rewrite the King James Version of the Bible because there is a lot that was wrong with the version of the Bible.
“I only teach them what the Bible says about the second coming of Jesus Christ. The prophecy that is fulfilling this time is showing that the rapture is close. I never even mention years to the church. I never teach them to run from their parents, I only teach them the gospel. I tell them to obey their parents in the lord.”
One of the church members, Olasunkami Olafisoye, a 24-year-old university graduate, said she disobeyed her parents because they are leading her away from God.
Olafisoye said: “My parents are not attending the church again. When we left our former church, they usually stayed at home and before then, I am not comfortable with the Bible teaching of the church.
“I later joined this church because my parents are leading me away from God and I want to make heaven. I love the way the church followed Jesus and the way they hold on to Christ.
“I disobeyed my parents because they are leading me away from Jesus and I find the way to heaven in this Church. I cannot because of parents lose heaven”.
One of the parents who reported the case to the police, Michael Olorunyomi, said he attended the church before and left the church “because of the wrong teachings the pastors are giving members”.
“The pastors teach church members about the need to divorce their wives while husbands need to divorce their wives if they want to go to heaven.
“They turned the children against their parents by teaching them what is not found in the Bible. When I left the church, my daughter refused to follow me. I made the mistake of living her behind when I was leaving.
“Before I knew what was going on, my daughter, who was in 300 level in University, dropped out and camped in the church waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ because the pastor said the rapture will come on September this year.
“They have even arranged a marriage between my daughter and a member of one of the pastor’s families. They said nobody should go to work, no school and they must do nothing than waiting for him in the church.
“Look at every one of them, they look unkempt. He instructed them they must not make their hair that anybody that makes his or her hair will lose heaven “
The PPRO said: “We received information about the activities of the church and its Pastors. We reacted spontaneously and discovered 77 people being caged in an underground apartment within the church.
“The two Pastors have been helping the command in its investigation.  Investigation is still ongoing and the picture is not clear yet over the activities of the two Pastors
“Abduction is not a small offence and for us not to mislead the public,  we need to investigate the issue to get the true picture of what happened. We will make our findings public after the investigation”.