From: Madu Ezenoha, Enugu
Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Wednesday promised to
intervene in the Assemblies of God crisis towards peaceful resolution
of the matter.
Governor Ugwuanyi consequently directed security operatives to allow
leaders and members of the church who gathered at their New Haven
Enugu branch for a prayer meeting to hold their function.
Governor Ugwuanyi gave the directive when thousands of the worshipers
belonging to the camp of the factional General Superintendent of the
Church, Rev. Prof. Paul Emeka, staged a peaceful protest at Government
House Enugu.
The Church leaders and members, comprising some District
Superintendents and pastors from across the country gathered to hold a
meeting at the New Haven Enugu branch of the Church, which also serves
as the District Headquarters, Enugu; but they were forcefully
prevented from holding their prayers by more than 50 policemen who
were armed to the teeth.
The policemen told the church leaders that they were acting on the
directive of the State Commissioner of Police, Danmallam Mohammed, a
development that provoked the protest march to the Government House by
the church leaders and members.
Addressing the protesting members of the Church, Governor Ugwuanyi
stated that since he became the governor of the state, he had always
welcomed every group, stressing that it should be taken that he does
not belong to or support any of the factions of the church.
“So you people should go back to the church, I will make arrangement
for you to go back through the CSO (Chief Security Officer), and
complete your meeting.
“Tomorrow, I will make arrangement for you people to dialogue with the
Commissioner of Police, and the outcome of the dialogue will determine
government involvement in the matter, whether to call a security
council meeting or not,” he said, even as he appealed to the church
members to always follow the path of peace towards the resolution of
the crisis.
The leader of the protesting group, Rev. Sunday Palmer, who is the
District Secretary, Sapele District in Delta State, and also the
National Director of Easter Retreat Conference of the church, lamented
what he called biased involvement of the police in the matter, saying
that police had no legal authority to prevent a lawful and peaceful
assembly of a religious group in their church.
Later while addressing members and leaders of the church after they
were allowed by the police to hold their meeting based on the
Governor’s directive, the factional General Superintendent, Rev. Paul
Emeka explained that the essence of the meeting was to inform the
members that the national secretariat of the Church at N0. 8 Ozubulu
Street, Independence Layout Enugu which the church handed over to him
in trust had been forcefully taken over by the factional group led by Rev.
Dr. Chidi Okoroafor.
He alleged that the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, Mr. Danmallam
Mohammed paved the way for the illegal installation of his opponent, Rev.
Chidi Okoroafor without any legal authority.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Enugu
Police Command, Ebere Amaraizu, a Superintendent of Police (SP),
stated that Police will not stop any group from holding religious
meetings.
“We don’t trample on the rights of people for religious worship, but we
didn’t know the original intention of the meeting.
“And the action of the police might even be in the interest of the
people because you know that the other group may take action against
the meeting, so our duty is to proactively take actions to prevent
break down of law and order”.
