The man who calls himself the ‘owner of the universe’ and ‘the appointed son of God,’ Apollo Quiboloy, has been arrested on Sunday in Davao, Philippines.
The arrest came after a two-week major police operation in which over 2,000 policemen conducted a search of the 74-acre compound of his church known as the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Quiboloy, a close friend of the former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, and a man with millions of followers in the Philippines, has been at the centre of accusations. He is on the list of Interpol’s most wanted men for charges of child and sexual abuse, and human trafficking in both the Philippines and the United States.
He was indicted in 2021 by the U. S Justice Department for sex trafficking girls and women aged 12 to 25, who were forced to work for him as his ‘pastorals’ and were forced into sexual relationships with him.
The police operation was characterized by a lot of resistance from Quiboloy’s followers, who closed the gates of the compound in order to prevent the arrest. Police had to use helicopters to hover over the compound which is made up of a cathedral, a college, and a stadium with a capacity of 75000 people. Thermal imaging and radar equipment days before the arrest captured the heat and pulse of a human body below the ground, implying that Quiboloy was in an underground bunker.
Quiboloy is also charged with transporting bulk cash and plotting the use of fake visas to bring members of the church to the United States. These members were then compelled to beg for funds in the pretext of helping a non-existent charitable organization, while the monies were used to run the church and the lifestyle of the leaders.
Nevertheless, Quiboloy has categorically denied any wrong doing as alleged by the prosecutors. His arrest is a major step in the ongoing investigation of his activities that have attracted global concern. Quiboloy will be prosecuted in the Philippines for local offences before he is extradited to the U. S., according to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
