Shameless Policemen Storm Winners Chapel Enugu, Arrest Church Officials

Posted by African Examiner Articles/Opinion, Enugu, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

The Nigerian Police officers have exhibited the usual shameless
tendencies by desecrating, disrupting and distracting worshippers
during the church service of Sunday 17th February, at the State
Headquarters of Winners Chapel , Enugu ,arresting a deacon and
an official with the Crowd Control Unit (CCU) in the process. The
drama started after the first service when a member of the CCU was
defied by a worshipper when instructed to stop for other vehicles
from the other lane to pass. The errant worshipper, one Kingsley,
(the Chief Detail to the Governor of Enugu State) refused to follow
the order of the Traffic Controllers and in the process his vehicle hit
and run over the leg of another worshipper. In the ensuing melee
and confusion the Chief Detail held the tie and pushed around the
Usher who retaliated by roughly shoving the man. The wife of the
chief detail came to the rescue of the husband by giving the Usher
two hot slaps and another lady CCU member slapped back the wife
of the government official and a brief fight ensued at the car park
leading to tearing of dresses of both women.

The aggrieved Government Official called for reinforcement from a
group of mobile policemen who came to the church to arrest the
leaders of the CCU but met with resistance from church members.
They called for a second and third heavily armed reinforcement that
came with two Hilux vans from Government House, Enugu and after
much argument, whisked off a Deacon named Kanayo and a CCU
usher named Louis. All efforts by the resident pastor and other
pastors, elders and deacons to plead with the top government
official failed. The duo were arrested and taken to Ogui Police
Station around 1pm and were there till 9pm. This melee caused
confusion, distracted the second service as worshipers abandoned
the church service to witness Hollywood movie. Traffic was held up
for over two hours while angry worshippers expressed
disappointment at the Police partiality in the matter.

The entreaties of people including the State Director of State
Security Services and an Assistant Commissioner of Police to
release the church officials failed as the government top shot
insisted on teaching the church rats the lessons of their lives. The
Resident Overseer, Pastor David Bamigboye sent his assistants
including Pastor Kunle Olarewaju, Pastor Kingsley Ikobi, Pastor
Obiora Madu . The Chairman of Deacon’s Assembly , Deacon
Chibuzo Ogoma and Elder Igbindion were among officials of Living
Faith Church stranded at Ogui Police Station till night in efforts to
release their Deacon and CCU official.

This action by the Nigerian Police Force attached to Government
House Enugu is irresponsible. It is expected that the police should
have used wisdom to ask the church to settle the matter as internal
affairs. Without the Crowd Control Unit in the church, just as in other
denominations, it would be difficult for worshippers to enter and exit
the church premises especially in churches that have large crowd
and more than one service on a Sunday, particularly with vehicular
movements. It is obvious that this Chief Detail cannot understand
how this ‘rag-tag’ usher had the effrontery to confront and obstruct
his exalted personality. This man should know that his Governor,
Sullivan Chime, just escaped from the hands of death and Governor
LiyelImoke in Calabar is still battling to escape from his travails.
Therefore, showing off might in the church is not good for posterity
purposes.

Old Anambra State knows the story of Bishop Godfrey Okoye in
1975 versus Senator Offia Nwali and Barrister JSP Nwokolo owner
of Pascan Jake Hotels and how posterity smiled on them after
conniving to collect church land in show of might with the Catholic
Church. Governor Ohakim beat up a priest and in the process lost
his governorship seat in Imo State. The political enemies of Rev Fr
Mbaka have become dustbins in Enugu State. Therefore, whosoever
this man thinks he is, the church is not the place to display executive
recklessness, whether Catholic, Anglican, Winners, Redeemed or
otherwise. He should tender unreserved apology to the management
of Living Faith Church for being used by the enemy to distract the
Winners family in this season of double portion, next levels and
prayer reach.

This man who claimed that he is a member of the church, was
banging on the table of the resident pastor in utter show of
disrespect for the ecclesiastical institution. Therefore, as Living Faith
Church is gathering crowd unto it, they should be mindful of mixed
multitudes whose arrogance, anger and faulty orientation could mar
the operations of the spirit. Therefore, lessons on pride and anger
management should form part of the foundation class and even
Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI) curriculum could include such.
This is to avoid a repeat of this shameless display of arrogance from
a government top shot who though claiming to be a church member,
colluded with the police to desecrate the church.

Obinna Akukwe
Profetobinna2@yahoo.com