Tension Mounts In Awka Anglican Diocese As Supervising Bishop Ezeofor Plans Take Over Wednesday

 Tension Mounts In Awka Anglican Diocese 

 As Supervising Bishop Ezeofor Plans Take Over Wednesday 

Nkiru Nwagbo 

There is growing tension in Awka Anglican Diocese following concluded arrangements by the newly appointed Supervising Bishop Rt Rev Samuel Ezeofor to take over  affairs as directed by the Primate Rt Revd Henry Ndukuba.

Recall that Ndukuba had in a letter which suspended the Archbishop of Awka Anglican Diocese Rt Rev Alexander Ibezim directing Ezeofor to take over the administration of the area as Supervising Bishop.

But Archbishop Ibezim however  filed litigation at the High Court challenging the directives of the Primate and the constitution of the panel of inquiry into the allegations leveled against him .

At the Church service last Sunday the compound of the St Faith Cathedral  witnessed heavily armed combined team of security personnel who had come  to maintain law and order in the area .

On the said Sunday Archbishop Ibezim attended the church service as the Archbishop of the Dioceses and described the crisis as a fight against Principalities and Spirituality.

Reports have it that more security operatives are being deployed to the Cathedral in an a bid towards averting breakdown of law and order.

It was gathered that the Supervising Bishop plans to hold his first  meeting with Diocesan leadership which most of the members loyal to Ibezim turned down the invitation on the grounds that he before assuming office sacked the incumbent Chancellor of the Dioceses and they had in a resolution warned that they will not be party what they called overbearing influence on the Diocese.

Reacting to the already charged situation, the Anambra Police Public Relations Officer SP Tochukwu Ikenga dismissed the claim that the heavy presence of the security operatives last Sunday was targeted at favouring one faction contending that political office holders that worship at the St Faith Cathedral Awka come with their security operatives including that of the Archbishop.

"We had security presence at the last Sunday service there but it was not targeted at protecting or taking sides with any of the parties"

"Remember that top government functionaries attend service there both the Governor, the Deputy Governor among others and you also know that the Archbishop himself has his own security personnel so it is not true that the Command is protecting any of the groups "

Ikenga also confirmed that more deployment of security operatives which is aimed at guaranteeing law and order adding that the Command urges both sides to comport themselves orderly and not to take the laws into their hands .

"The Command uses this medium to advise all interest groups to be law abiding and conduct themselves within the ambit of the law as it is determined to ensure that people do not take laws into their hands " he said.