Hmmm......The boy in chain
The NSCDC said the nine-year old boy had been chained for weeks by the church, the Celestial Church of Christ (Key of Joy Parish, Ajiwo) at Ajibawo in Ado Odo/Ota local government area of Ogun State.
The NSCDC said in a statement obtained by Fidelis Chidi blog on Saturday that the boy, Taiwo Korede was on Friday rescued from the church.
The boy being carried by a NSCDC official
On this rainy Saturday afternoon, a muddy, narrow river of water flowed into a small, deserted, compound deep inside the bush in Ajibawo, a sleepy community in Ogun State.
The Key of Joy Parish of the Celestial Church of Christ is situated here.
The church had been thrown into the limelight after its founder, Taiwo Francis, was found to have chained his son, Korede, 9, on his neck to a heavy log of wood in a room within the premises.
The pastor and his family also live here.
On Friday, officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), acting on a tip-off, invaded the compound to rescue Korede.
“According to the information from officer in charge of Ado-Odo NSCDC Division who led the rescue operation, the boy had been chained for two weeks at the very Celestial Church of Christ (Key of Joy Parish) the boy was tired and pale, he was not able to talk when he was initially rescued,” the NSCDC said in a statement on Saturday.
“On getting to the church there was serious resistance by members led by the pastor’s wife Kehinde, but Civil defence Corps men insisted, and they were able to force their way into the church premises. The boy was actually under lock and key. They quickly took him to the office for necessary entries and documentation and proceeded to the General Hospital, Ota.
“The boy was bath and one Dr. Akintunde asked NSCDC officials who took him there to give him lucosade boost, they then called on welder to cut the chains so as to enable them administer treatment.
“Before NSCDC left the hospital, he has been responding to treatment as he has started talking. However, the Hospital Medical Director one Dr. Osinbajo who came later assures the Corps that the boy will get necessary medical attention needed.”
A ‘stubborn’ boy and a ‘wicked’ father
Neighbours of the church described Mr. Francis as a “wicked” father.“The boy is a stubborn boy, always fighting,” an elderly man, who refused to be named because he’s not “one of them,” said.
“He has chained the boy since May, because he stole soup. That he always steals soup in the house and even outside the house. We knew it was a wicked thing to do to the little boy,” he added.
On Saturday afternoon, half a dozen plastic chairs were scattered inside the small church, where wooden pillars and beams support the roof. A wooden table holds a Yoruba Bible (opened to ‘Ifihan’ – the book of Revelation) flanked by an empty glass cup and a candle holder. On the bare wall, near the altar, lay a photo of Jesus Christ announcing in Romans 5:8 that ‘But God demonstrated His own love towards us, in that while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us.’
At the back of the church is a tiny room, where Mr. Francis allegedly chained his son.
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Outside the church, a hand-written name of the parish and a phone number usher visitors into the compound. A True-Caller search of the number showed it belonged to ‘Tiler Sango Ota,’ an apparent indication that the owner is a tiler at Sango Ota.
“We came here for investigation, from our main church, but the man (Mr. Francis) is nowhere to be found,” said a man in a flowing, white gown who was part of a two-man team dispatched to the church.
They had earlier communicated with Mr. Francis over the phone and, according to them, he had initially agreed to come and meet them in his house but later backed out because he believed security agents were lying in wait for him.
The CCC members declined to be interviewed because they had not been authorised by the Celestial Church of Christ to speak to journalists.
“All we can say is that the man is not a registered – or recognized – pastor in the CCC.”
A few hundred of metres away, in another Celestial Church parish, Albert Hunkanyin sat in his office, making and receiving phone calls about the incident.
He says Mr. Francis is his younger brother.
“That is the behaviour of the fellow. This person doesn’t use to listen to anything at all. He does what he wants,” Mr. Hunkanyin, Shepherd-In-Charge, CCC, Ire-Akari Parish, Ajibawo, said through an interpreter.
“He did something like this in 2013. This particular boy was missing and he came to this church to come and meet me.
“I had once arrested him with soldiers in 2013 because of the way he maltreats the boy. Other members came and pleaded and he said such won’t happen again.
“Soldiers were asking him why he maltreated the boy the way he did. He beats the boy mercilessly. Ever since then, he has been keeping malice with me.”
After initially evading law enforcement officials, Mr. Francis was arrested by the police on Sunday. Police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he was arrested with the help of his church members.
Wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Olufunke Amosun on Tuesday visited
9-year-old Korede Taiwo, who was rescued from the Celestial Church of
Christ in Ajibawo near Ota in Ogun State, where his father Prophet
Francis Taiwo chained him for weeks for stealing food. More photos abeg
9 year old Korede Taiwo who was rescued from the Celestial Church of
Christ (Key of Joy Parish), in Ajibawo area near Otta in Ogun state
where his father, Prophet Francis Taiwo, chained him for weeks because
of his stealing habits, says he stole because he was hungry and that he
had not been well fed for four months.
When interviewed, his father Francis said;
The Celestial Church of Christ has released a statement reacting to the
report of one of their pastors, Francis Taiwo, who chained his nine year
old son, Korede Taiwo, for weeks without food at the Key of Joy Parish,
Ajiwo at Ajibawo in Ado Odo/Ota local government area of Ogun State.
In the statement released today July 25th, the leadership of the church condemned the act, stating it will never support any act of child abuse. Read the statement after the cut...
Outside the church, a hand-written name of the parish and a phone number usher visitors into the compound. A True-Caller search of the number showed it belonged to ‘Tiler Sango Ota,’ an apparent indication that the owner is a tiler at Sango Ota.
“We came here for investigation, from our main church, but the man (Mr. Francis) is nowhere to be found,” said a man in a flowing, white gown who was part of a two-man team dispatched to the church.
They had earlier communicated with Mr. Francis over the phone and, according to them, he had initially agreed to come and meet them in his house but later backed out because he believed security agents were lying in wait for him.
The CCC members declined to be interviewed because they had not been authorised by the Celestial Church of Christ to speak to journalists.
“All we can say is that the man is not a registered – or recognized – pastor in the CCC.”
A few hundred of metres away, in another Celestial Church parish, Albert Hunkanyin sat in his office, making and receiving phone calls about the incident.
He says Mr. Francis is his younger brother.
“That is the behaviour of the fellow. This person doesn’t use to listen to anything at all. He does what he wants,” Mr. Hunkanyin, Shepherd-In-Charge, CCC, Ire-Akari Parish, Ajibawo, said through an interpreter.
“I had once arrested him with soldiers in 2013 because of the way he maltreats the boy. Other members came and pleaded and he said such won’t happen again.
“Soldiers were asking him why he maltreated the boy the way he did. He beats the boy mercilessly. Ever since then, he has been keeping malice with me.”
After initially evading law enforcement officials, Mr. Francis was arrested by the police on Sunday. Police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he was arrested with the help of his church members.
"I steal because I am hungry. I have not been fed well for four months. They give me food but not all the time" he told Channels TV
When interviewed, his father Francis said;
"When I complained to my shepherds about his stealing habit, they advised I used different methods but it didn't work. I now decided that maybe if I chain him down I will find a solution"he said.Korede is currently in custody of the Onipanu Police station in Ogun state.
In the statement released today July 25th, the leadership of the church condemned the act, stating it will never support any act of child abuse. Read the statement after the cut...
Our attention has been drawn to media reports concerning the activities of Prophet Francis Taiwo, Shepherd in Charge, Celestial Church of Christ ( C.C.C ), Key of Joy Parish, Ajiwo at Ajibawo in Ado Odo/Ota local government area of Ogun State. Prophet Francis Taiwo was reported to have chained his nine year old son and starved him of food for months, after the boy was accused of habitual stealing.
The nine year old boy was eventually rescued by men of the NSCDC who stormed the church premises for that purpose. Latest reports indicate that the culprit, Prophet Francis Taiwo was later arrested by the police with the help of his church members. This report has drawn the ire of the public and our great church has been receiving undeserved flaks therefrom. We are thus compelled to issue this statement to correct whatever misconceptions must have been created about the church, in the minds of the general public, by this shameful and totally unacceptable incident. Let it be known that the Celestial Church of Christ does not condone child abuse and violence of any form.
We recognise and place a high value on our youths and children as we often acknowledge them as the salt of the earth and a vital part of the future of any organisation, church or nation. Our belief is that children therefore must be raised in an atmosphere of love, Christian values and reasonable parental discipline. The fact that the said Prophet Francis Taiwo was arrested by the Police with the help of his church members lends credence to the fact that our church abhors child abuse, domestic violence and inhumanity of any form. We commend the NSCDC and the Nigerian Police for a job well done, and wish to assure the general public that the Celestial Church of Christ is already looking into the matter and would mete out appropriate disciplinary actions on the culprits. Thank you and may the Lord be with you all.
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