Police in Rivers State have arrested a Port Harcourt pastor and four members of his congregation after a video emerged online showing naked children being whipped during what was described as a religious cleansing ritual.

The suspect, Pastor Ifediorah Joseph of Our Lord Victory Covenant Mission Church, Eneka, allegedly organised a three-day programme for children, claiming the activity was a spiritual purification directed by the Holy Spirit. In the viral footage, the 41-year-old cleric is seen striking minors aged between five and nine with palm fronds as other church members looked on, before the children were handed to another member who led them to a group described as “cleansed”.

Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, ordered an immediate probe after the video spread across social media. Acting on intelligence, police operatives raided the church and arrested Pastor Joseph alongside four church members, including the church’s welfare secretary, Promise Nwikegha, and a minister, Deborah Ohia.

In an unexpected twist, several parents of the children stormed the Eneka Police Division, singing and dancing in support of the pastor. They insisted they had willingly given consent for the ritual, describing it as a harmless spiritual exercise. One parent, Mrs Ngozi Uzoma, told reporters there was no abuse involved.

Pastor Joseph maintained that the whipping and a ritual bath with pigeon’s blood were done with full parental consent, insisting the practice was spiritually motivated.

However, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has joined the investigation, stressing that parental consent does not override the rights of a child. NAPTIP Intelligence Officer Komani Timipire said the incident was being treated as a potential case of child abuse.

The Rivers State Police Command has assured the public that the welfare and dignity of the children will be safeguarded while investigations continue.