News UPDATE:
The. Rt. Rev. B.C Okeke, the Bishop of Orlu in Imo State has issued a statement where he has described the Christmas weekend event whereby the Nigerian Police Force invaded and took away a parishioner at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama Obieri in the Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo state as an “assault on the Anglican church” and a “despicable conduct.”
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The Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Owerri, Imo State, Most Rev. Dr. David Onuoha, has condemned the Nigerian Police Force invasion and “presence of heavily armed security operatives in the church service (at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama Obieri in the Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state on Sunday)… thereby disrupting the worship of God’s people.”
Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
The Archbishop lamented that “the Police jumped inside the church in a gestapo style when the service was in full session is reprehensible, primitive, and highly condemnable.”
He added that “We are at a great loss why the police decided to throw caution to the winds and completely ignore internationally acclaimed rules of engagement and civility in this matter.”
He added that “As much as we are not concerned or interested in the reason for this invasion, which is unprecedented in the more than 160 years history of the church in this state, we are gravely worried and disturbed that worshippers were greatly frightened, worried, confused and completely disorganised.”
Apparently, the Police as shown in video clips, forcibly, grabbed from an on-going church service, Uche Nwosu, politician, son in-law of the immediate past Governor (Rochas Okorocha) and opponent of incumbent Governor Hope Uzodinma.
Dr. Onuoha stated that the invasion desecrated the church while the Police said it was enforcing the arrest of Nwosu during a thanksgiving service.
The church said that while it is not opposed to the arrest of individuals (no matter how highly placed ) who committed crimes), the invasion of a church of worship by security operatives while service was ongoing was unacceptable.
Nwosu, who is the son-in-law of former Governor Rochas Okorocha, was arrested by policemen at the church for reasons unknown but later released.
The Archbishop of the province, Most Rev Dr David Onuoha, in a statement on Monday, said that the shooting of bullets and dispersing of worshippers had never been witnessed in the over 160 years of the existence of the church in the state.”
The Imo State government has apologised for the violation of the hallowed, respected, faith confines of a church.
