The Edo State Police Command arrested a pastor, known as ‘Pastor Sharp Sharp,’ and two other individuals on Wednesday for assaulting a 90-year-old woman, Adishetu Atairu, the chief Imam of the community, and six others in Ofukpo-Ekperi, Etsako Central Local Government Area.
The brutal treatment was captured in viral videos shared on WhatsApp and Facebook.
Police spokesperson SP Chidi Nwabuzor confirmed the incident, stating, “Yes, the incident is confirmed, the police are aware of it. The Pastor and one other person have been arrested and they are in police custody. The suspects have been charged to court.”
A community resident, Abu Buhari, recounted that on July 5, his stepmother, Atairu, and others were assaulted and abducted by the pastor and his accomplices. He explained that armed men took them in the middle of the night, accusing them of being witches and wizards.
Buhari described the incident, saying, “On the fateful day, residents of my community went to bed as usual, only to be woken up by unknown, gun-wielding men. My stepmom and others were dragged before a waiting crowd and accused of being witches and wizards. My stepmother was brutalized, humiliated, and traumatized.”
Buhari explained that community youths, who are vigilantes, wanted to offer prayers for the community’s progress but employed a violent method. They contacted ‘Pastor Sharp Sharp’ and paid him a fee, believing he could perform miracles. The pastor organized a midnight crusade, during which he called out names from a list provided by the youths. These individuals were then forcefully taken from their homes, assaulted, and dehumanized.
Buhari added, “When the pastor called the names, the youths would go to the person’s house in the dead of the night, forcefully abduct the person to the event, and started assaulting and dehumanizing them. My stepmother, despite her injury, was forced to sit on the floor by the pastor, which she refused, saying she committed no offense.”
After the brutalization, the pastor coerced the victims to pay fees ranging from N10,000 to N13,000 for miracle medicine. Buhari reported the incident to the police, leading to the arrest of the pastor by the Police Area Command Office in Agenebode, Etsako East local government on July 17.
The Edo Muslims for Equity and Good Governance praised the Nigeria Police and other security operatives for intervening. The group’s coordinator, Sirajudeen Muhammad, assured that there would be justice for those humiliated.
