We don’ t just give birth to children because we feel like it. There are responsibilities attached to giving birth, one of which is feeding the child according to your means. When you feed a 9- year- old child a quarter cup of rice and you have the means of giving him or her half cup of rice, you’ re predisposing the child to stealing the other quater. You know that portion is too small to satisfy the child. The child may be blameworthy but such parent is more at fault. You don’ t expect a child who is still underage to go look for how to feed himself. So the options are definitely narrowed down, stealing from you or dying of hunger.
9- Year- Old Boy Starved And Chained By Dad
A Celestial Church of Christ Pastor, Francis Taiwo starved and kept his 9- year- old son in chains for months for alleged stealing a pot of soup. The boy confessed he truly stole but explained why he did so.
” It is true that I stole a pot of soup and a bowl of eba in our house. I also stole in the neighborhood. My father’ s inability to give money to my stepmother for the upkeep of our family caused it. When I was chained, my father and stepmother fed me twice a day. Some days, I was not given any food. I want to go back to school because I want to be a doctor in the future. I do not want to go back to my father’ s house.
The Arrest
A neigbor whose name has been withheld for security reasons was the one who exposed the cruel father who doubles as a pastor. Upon arrest, 40- year- old Francis Taiwo, the owner of CCC, key of Joy Parish in Ajibawo Atan in the Ado- Odo/ota local government area of ogun state disclosed that he was sure his son had been possessed by the devil. In his capacity as a pastor, he believes Korede’ s stealing isn’ t ordinary and that was why he chained him up for months. Pastor Francis is no longer married to Korede’ s mum, which made the suffering to go on for a while. Moreso, the stepmother, Kehinde also allegedly aided the cruelty meted out on Korede of which she denied.
” I was ordained a pastor in the CCC in 2022. 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” , Pastor Francis reveals.
Witness Account
One of the neighbors, Elijah testified go the mistreatment of the little boy. He said that people in the community have on several occasions appealed to Pastor Francis to be a little compassionate with his son, Korede but he wouldn’ t listen.
He kept believing his approach is the only way to correct the child and save the child from the web of evil doers.
” 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 and runs away from home and he thinks a spirit is controlling. He once took him to a river in chains for deliverance” , Punch reports.
Writer’ s Opinion
It may be true that Korede was actually possessed but who treats his possessed son in that manner just because you want to deliver him. Before assuming that the child is possessed, Pastor Francis never tried doing the needful by giving the boy adequate food and water to see if he would stop the stealing habit. As a pastor, he definitely has other people that have been brought to him under the notion of being possessed, not one of these people have he chained and maltreated like he did for his child. This makes it look like a deliberate act of wickedness on the child which could eventually lead to the boy’ s death.
Police Report
The case was confirmed by the Ogun state Police spokesperson, SP Muyiwa Adejobi.
” 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.
Why do parents maltreat their own flesh and blood?
Is what Korede did enough a reason to chain him for 6 months whilst depriving him of food and water till he looked like a skeleton?
Is chaining a child like a dog even reasonable?
Kindly drop your comments below.
by MARYAM SALAHUDEEN
