Man Beaten To Death During ‘Deliverance’ In Edo; Pastor Arrested

A 45-year-old man identified as Osayande Ekhator, met his 

death during a deliverance service at Holy Ghost Deliverance 

Centre, also called Hope Ministry located at Uselu Quarters in 

Egor LG, Edo State.

His family had taken him to the church for spiritual cleansing 

when the incident occurred.

Speaking to reporters, the father of the deceased, Pa Ekhator, 

said that he suspected that the deliverance went wrong when 

his son was thrown to the ground, with his hands and legs tied.

“They forced him and tied him up, as usual, and threw him down. 

From there, they carried a bucket of water and poured it on his 

body. The mother asked why. They said that was what they 

usually did; that after struggling, they wanted him to have 

some rest. After about five minutes, she came out crying that 

Osayande was dead,” he said. 

A sister of the victim, who spoke in confidence, alleged that 

the victim was “beaten to death”.

She said the “killers” also planned to deposit his remains at a 

mortuary.

“They beat him to death. They removed his clothes, bathed 

him and  clothed him.They said they wanted to take him to a 

mortuary. But we refused.”

According to a resident, there were bloodstains on the head of 

the deceased.

“I think he was hit on the head. I saw blood on his head when 

his body was placed in a vehicle,” the resident said.

The Pastor, Mrs. Isoken Ekundaye, however denied the 

allegations saying several “lunatics” had been healed in the 

church.

“We don’t kill here; we don’t beat here. If they bring insane 

people, we heal them,” she said. 

Some youths in the area however invaded the church and 

destroyed its property.

Confirming the incident, Police spokesman Stephen Onwochei, 

a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the pastor had been 

arrested and the case transferred to the State Criminal 

Investigation Department (SCID) for investigation.