Church flogging: Obinim lost control - Aide

The shock of learning that his adopted 14-year-old daughter had been impregnated by his adopted 16-year-old son was what caused Bishop Daniel Obinim to lose control and flog the two teen lovers in front of the entire church, his aide Joseph Oppong Brenya has said.

Mr Brenya said the affair between the two adopted teenagers was revealed to the controversial man of God on the spur of the moment during one of his church services, thus, his spontaneous reaction.

“It happened during prophecy time…so when it happens that way, it’s very difficult controlling yourself because of hearing that your children who you love so much will attempt aborting a pregnancy, and every human being or father will act in the same manner,” Mr Oppong Brenya said.

Meanwhile, Bishop Obinim will, on Tuesday, 23 August, honour the invitation extended to him by the Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, Mr Oppong Brenya has said.

He told ClassFMonline.com on Monday, 22 August that his boss was a law-abiding citizen who would not call the bluff of the police or disrespect any law-enforcement agency.

After failing to honour an invitation by the police, the law enforcement agency consequently declared Bishop Obinim wanted.

The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection reported the founder and leader of the International God’s Way Church to the Accra regional office of DOVVSU last week for publicly flogging two teenagers in his church for fornication.

“We have been informed that the police have commenced investigations into the matter and a complaint has also been filed against him [Obinim] at the Tema Regional Police. We will keep you posted on further developments,” sector minister Nana Oye Lithur said in a Facebook post.

Bishop Obinim has come under heavy criticism on social media for flogging the teenagers with a belt.

On the videotape that captured the flogging, Bishop Obinim kept chastising and asking the young lovers if they were “stupid”.

At a point, his wife, Florence, was seen intervening and pleading for mercy on behalf of the two, but the controversial bishop was intent on disciplining the two lovers.

Meanwhile, a human rights lawyer, Mr Francis Xavier-Sosu, has described the act as unacceptable and has also sued the controversial pastor.

Mr Oppong Brenya, however, explained that his boss had been out of town, thus, his failure to honour the invitation. He said the bishop would honour the invitation tomorrow, Tuesday 23 August.