Police in Nigeria have freed at least 77 people who were kept in a church basement by pastors who preached to them about Christian believers ascending to heaven with the second coming of Jesus Christ, authorities said Sunday.
The people rescued Friday night from the church in Ondo state included 23 children, some as young as eight years old. Local residents told The Associated Press that some Whole Bible Believer Church members had been kept there since last year.
Pastors at the church, which is located 75 kilometres from Nigeria's capital, encouraged the members to "stay behind" and wait for the rapture, Ondo police spokesperson Funmilayo Odunlami said.
Two pastors are in custody, although investigators have not found evidence indicating the church members were "abused and/or forced" to stay in the basement, she said.