Boko Haram Strikes In Anambra : 5,000 Anglicans Protest Demolition Of Over N30 Million Church Building By The Roman Catholic Church Amidst Tension

There is tension building up in Onitsha, Anambra state over demolition of an Anglican Church, St Ebenezer’s Anglican Church Oze Nkwere Ezunaka in Oyi local government area worth over N50 Million by hoodlums suspected to be members of the Roman Catholic Church in the community sent by the President General , Chief Chris Eluemunor, odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com.

To this end ,Right Reverend Owen Nwokolo , Bishop of Anglican diocese on the Niger lead his clergy numbering over 1,000 and hundreds of thousands of worshipers on a peaceful protest march over the demolition of  St Ebenezer’s Anglican church Oze, Nkwere-Ezunaka.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions ‘’ Rebuild our Church now’’;  Build our church now, Obiano save Anambra from Religious crisis; Eluemunor were is our church?; We disagree , they must rebuild our church; Anambra say no to nominational insurgency  ; Elumunor , are you above the law?; Elumunor is an anti Christ and Tourist; President Jonathan must hear this! among others.  

Odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com reports that the Anglican Church demanded that Anambra state Governor Willie Obiano should intervene and the state government  rebuild the demolished church and petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene too in the matter.  They went ahead to threaten that should the case be ignored Anglicans in Anambra and South-East would reject Jonathan’s candidacy in 2015 elections as they would call out their over 1 million members out against Jonathan and Obiano’s government.

The priest in charge of the church, Rev Princewill Okonkwo  and another protester Rev Iyke Egbuonu could not speak as he was dumb found founded  over the action of the Roman Catholic Church in Nkwere who vowed to ensure no Anglican church stands in Nkwere Ezunaka. But when pressured blamed the President General of Nkwere Ezunaka , Chief Chris Eluemunor for the destruction of the church building even when they have stayed there for over 30 years.

They called on Obiano to save them the embarrassment as the President General had threatened to pull down the building sometime ago at a public function. They said about 2, 000 worshippers at the church building have been displaced. The said the survey plan and all necessary documents are with them.

Bishop Nwokolo who was in tears on what co Christians could do to fellow Christians was also dumbfounded by the development that he could not be at the seen by represented by the Diocesan Chancellor, Diocese on the Niger,  Nnamdi Ibegbu (SAN) , Rev Iyke Egbuonu and a member of the building committee Dr Sir Emma Ibeneme accused the President General of the Nkwere Ezunaka community/ President General Ohaneze Ndigbo Chief Chris Elumunor of championing a hate war against Anglican church and not the Nkwere Ezunaka community.   

The protesters caused a heavy traffic jam from the Onitsha end of the 33 to Nkwere Nzunaka for several hours matching along the highway to the church premises and around the community exhibiting their grievances while singing anti Christ’s songs against all those who perpetuated the evil on the Church of Christ.

They appealed on God to intervene and expose the people behind the mayhem and equally destroy their homes and houses for tampering with the church of God. They prayed for several hours and invoked the wrath of God upon the destroyers of the gospel led allegedly by Chief Chris Elumunor.

Addressing newsmen , the Anglican Diocese on the Niger Chancellor , Nnamdi Ibegbu SAN  described the action of the Catholic Church as Barbaric, wondering why they should be taking laws into their hands. He said the people behind the act should have taken the matter to court rather than destroying the church of God adding that it was very uncivilized.

Ibegbu said: ‘’We are going to take appropriate legal action , administratively  and otherwise . I therefore enjoin the state government to handle this matters fairly without siding any party and let them ensure that this Church is rebuilt , because this is the House of God and anybody who demolishes God’s house will obviously face the wrath of God. The police will investigate this matter but we point accusing fingers on the President General OF Nkwere Ezunaka community , Elder Chris Elumunor and also the government.

‘’I support them to go ahead with the peaceful protest so that government and the populace will know what happened. The world need to know that a church solely built was razed down by armed assailants with bulldozers in the middle of the night . Its shocking. The court will determine the issue.  

Efforts to get the Archbishop of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province , Most Rev Valerian Maduka Okeke could not yield fruits as he picks his phone and cuts it off and other efforts were channeled to a voice mail.

Already there is tension in the community as the Anglicans accuse the President General , Chief Chris Elumunor of having a hand in their predicament as the crisis started since his assumption of office. The PG’S line was not connecting as at press time for his reaction.

On his part , Dr Sir Emma Ibeneme , a knight of the church and a member of the Church building committee said the enemy who masterminded the demolition will not go unpunished by God describing the school as one of those handed over to the mission by the Anambra state government .

He claimed that the foundation stone was laid two months ago and that the perpetrators did not want Anglican church to exist in Nkwere Ezunaka hence they pulled it down as they have worshipped in the church since over 30 years , the land was handed over to the Anglican church with all the documents with the Bishop Owen Nwokolo.

‘’We have been very peaceful and we have never been violent in anyway since the persecution started and we are appealing to Governor Willie Obiano to intervene and look into the matter dispassionately and rebuild the Church for them. We are ready for whatever they want if the government neglects our peaceful protest and even we are ready to go to the federal level.

Meanwhile, a detachment of the Nigerian police have been drafted to the disputed land and church building to prevent further destruction of property and break down of law and order.

This was disclosed by the Special Adviser to the Governor Willie Obiano on Security, Chief Chikodili Anara on a public service announcement even as he lamented over the taking of laws into their hand by the people who destroyed the church building. He admitted Anglicans have been worshiping in the destroyed Church building before this crisis which the government regretted but assured everything would be put in to place to arrest the perpetrators of the crime. 

Odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com reports that the school within the church premises that was subject of the controversy was handed over to Anglican church by former Governor Peter Obi’s administration , Obi a Roman Catholic and the document of transfer was number 196 in the gazette hence the Anglicans were shocked to see that a group of hoodlums , with armed men believed to be government armed forces invaded the compound and destroyed the Church.

They lamented that orphans and poor people have contributed to make the church building a reality . They reminded that Anglican Church Missionary Society came first to Nigeria and the communities gave lands to Anglican churches before Roman Catholic churches started coming and that the Anglicans gave many of the church lands to Roman Catholic Churches. Anglicans gave the Catholics the Sacred Heart Parish the place where they built their Basilica yet they are prosecuting us.

The Anglican communion in Nkwere Ezunaka said they were not   in crisis with Nkwere Ezunaka people but with Chief Chris Eluemunor lamenting that that the state had gone into religious bigotry reminding that the government of Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige gave us the certificate of authority to be here.

Odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com reports that they further informed that the present Government employed  1, 000 persons and out of that number 950 are Roman Catholics while 50 are   Anglicans without any Pentecostal person getting employment. They said about 65 people were employed in the school at contention and 60 of them are Roman Catholics , while 3 are Anglicans with 2 Pentecostals in an Anglican School.