Twenty-nine members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) are facing charges of obstruction of justice and direct assault following a police operation that resulted in injuries to 60 officers, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 reported on Thursday.
During a press conference, PRO 11 spokesperson Police Major Catherine dela Rey confirmed that complaints have been filed against the KOJC members, some of whom are currently detained at the Davao City Police Office custodial facility. “We have filed complaints against 29 KOJC members… and currently, some of them are in the Davao City Police Office custodial facility,” Dela Rey stated. “The update given to me yesterday was that they were processing for their bail.”
The altercation occurred when police officers attempted to serve arrest warrants on Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, leader of the KOJC. As tensions rose, some KOJC members objected to the police bringing a “blue box” into the compound without scanning it through an X-ray machine, according to a report from Unang Balita. The police also deployed a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) for crowd control.
The police operation, which has been ongoing for six days, aims to arrest Quiboloy for alleged violations including the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act and qualified human trafficking. The courts in Davao and Pasig have issued arrest warrants against Quiboloy, who has gone into hiding following the Senate’s issuance of an arrest order for his refusal to attend hearings.
Quiboloy is also facing charges in the United States for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, as well as other related offenses. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued “wanted” posters for Quiboloy and two other KOJC members.
The KOJC has not yet released a statement regarding the incident.