The Nigerian Police officers have exhibited the usual shameless tendencies by
desecrating, disrupting and distracting worshippers during the church service of Sunday 17 of 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 , (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 Igbinidion 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 whose infamous name is not worth mentioning, should know that his boss, Governor Sullivan Chime, just escaped from the hands of death and Governor Liyel Imoke 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.
