Sue Obinim, or shut up! – Aide to critics

Aide to Bishop Daniel Obinim, Joseph Oppong Brenya, has dared critics of the founder of the International God’s Way International Church, including human rights activists and organisations, to stop talking on radio and go ahead and sue the man of God for human rights abuse if they are “serious” people.

Bishop Obinim has come under a lot of accusation and criticism from rights activists such as Amnesty International and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, after a video which captures him flogging two teen lovers with a belt in open church for fornicating, went viral on social media.

While AI wants him arrested, the Gender, Children and Social Protection Ministry has reported his conduct to the Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service. Human rights lawyers such as Prof Ken Attafuah and Mr Francis Xavier Sosu have also condemned the flogging of the two teens, describing it as “torture” and “madness”, respectively.

Despite the avalanche of criticism, Mr Oppong Brenya told Chief Jerry Forson on Accra100.5FM’s breakfast show, Ghana Yensom, on Friday that the parents of the two teen lovers are happy about the flogging.

He said apart from the teens’ parents, members of the church are also excited about the punishment meted out to the 14-year-old pregnant girl and her 16-year-old boyfriend, both of whom have been adopted by the Obinims.

The aide of the controversial bishop has, therefore, asked his boss’ critics to drag him before the law in defence of the human rights of the teenagers if they really were serious about it rather than jumping from one radio station to another chastising the pastor.