There was pandemonium on Okwanga Street around Uselu Quarters in
Egor Local Government Area of Edo State on Tuesday after a 45-year-old
man, identified as Osayande Ekhator, died during a deliverance session
in a Pentecostal church in the area.
It was gathered that the Ekhator had been taken to the church, Hope
Ministry, also known as Holy Ghost Deliverance Centre, by his relatives
on Monday, due to an undisclosed ailment.
It was, however, learnt that some residents heard a loud cry from
the church and rushed there only to discover the lifeless body of the
deceased in the church.
Some angry youths were also said to have stormed the church and vandalised some valuable property.
One of the residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged
that the deceased might hit his head against a hard object, as there
were blood stains on his head.
“I think he must have hit his head somewhere. I saw blood on his
head when his body was placed in a vehicle,” the resident said.
The father of the deceased, Pa Ekhator, said he had suspected that
the deliverance session had gone wrong when his son was thrown to the
ground, with his hands and legs tied.
He said, “They forced him and tied him as usual and threw him
down. From there, they carried a bucket full of water and poured it on
his body.
“The mother asked why. They said that is what they usually do;
that after struggling, they wanted him to have rest and cool down. After
about five minutes, she came crying that Osayande is dead.”
But the sister of the deceased alleged that he was “beaten to
death” by his deliverers, who had also planned to deposit his remains in
a mortuary.
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The Resident Pastor of the church, Mrs. Isoken Ekundaye, denied the allegations.
“We don’t kill here. We don’t beat here. If they bring insane people, we heal,” Ekundaye said.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Stephen Onwochei,
said the said pastor had been arrested while the case had been
transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for
investigation.
