Police arrest fleeing pastor for torturing son

The police in Ogun State have arrested a 40-year-old Pastor, Francis Taiwo, who chained his nine-year-old son, Korede, to a log of wood and left him to starve for weeks. Taiwo, who was arrested yesterday by the police with the help of members of the Celestial Church of Christ in Ota, maltreated his son whom he accused of stealing his money. The boy was rescued on Friday by security operatives from a room around the church after they were tipped-off by a member of the community. The cleric, who hails from Benin Republic, but was born in Ota, Ogun State, into the Celestial Church, was ordained as a pastor in 2012. Police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the pastor had two wives before he married Kehinde Taiwo – Korede’s step mother, who is also a suspect in the matter. “Francis, father of five, confirmed that Korede’s mother, Marine Taiwo, who hailed from Delta State, is late. And that she had four children for him – two boys and two girls – before she divorced him in 2007, just after she gave birth to Korede. “Investigation showed that none of Korede’s siblings stays with the pastor. And he confirmed that he chained Korede because he felt he’s possessed and he’s not comfortable with his stealing habit. “The case will be transferred to the command’s Anti-human trafficking and Child Labour Unit for investigation and actions on the welfare of Korede as directed by the Assistant Inspector General(AIG) of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, Abdulmajid Ali,” Adejobi said.