A major clash was averted in Enugu yesterday, when a
team of policemen drove away pastors and deacons of
the Assemblies of God and sealed the Ishiagu Street
branch of the church at Uwani area of the state capital
where they had gathered to hold a forum.
But for the intervention of the District Superintendent
of Enugu South District of the church, Revd David Agu,
the pastors numbering over 200, were set to engage
the armed policemen whom they alleged did not give
any reason for their action.
Speaking to Daily Sun outside the church premises,
Agu stated that they had scheduled a forum for
pastors and deacons of the various churches in the
district before the incident.
“We have over 200 churches with the same number of
pastors in the district and we are here to hold our
usual forum.
“So, it all means that people came in from all these
churches for this meeting. But while I was driving in, I
saw some policemen locking the gate. I asked what the
matter was, but they refused talking to me.
“I told them if they have any reason to stop our
meeting or any paper authorising them to lock the
church, we also have the right to know.
“I further queried why they had to lock some people
inside the premises but they never talked to me. So,
since then, we have been standing outside. I have
called the acting General Superintendent, Revd Chidi
Okorafor, to ask him, but he said he had no knowledge
of that. He tried reaching the commissioner of police,
but he was not picking his phone,” he said
Agu stated that no major decision was to be taken at
the meeting, adding: “It was not a policy-making fo
rum, it is just a fellowship. Normally, when we have
such meeting, I will preach, we will sing and pray for
the district and then, if there are announcements, I will
make the announcements. We have been having such
a forum for deacons and pastors forum.
He condemned the action of the police, insisting that
what they did was violently done.
His words: “No explanation, no reason, even when he
was told I was the district superintendent, courtesy
demands that he should have told me that this person
sent us or that there is going to be a breakdown of law
and order.
“He did not even tell me why he was locking the gate,
he did not tell me we should not have meeting; he did
not tell me there was going to be any problem. I even
wanted to provoke him by saying that nobody has
monopoly of violence that by using violence there
could be counter violence.”
When contacted, the Enugu State Police Public
Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, attributed the action
of the police to the ongoing leadership crisis in the
church.
He told Daily Sun that there was a petition that the
meeting would lead to a breakdown of law and order
and the police team was told to stop the meeting.
