Police hold peace meeting with Anglican bishops over church crisis

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnanna Ama, has held a peace meeting with the embattled bishops of the Anglican Communion in the state over a crisis in the church.

The suspended Bishop of Awka Diocese, Alexander Ibezim, and the newly appointed supervising bishop of the diocese, Samuel Ezeofor, attended the meeting held on Friday at the state police headquarters in Awka.

The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

The crisis

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Henry Ndukuba had suspended the archbishop for six months over various allegations, including selling of church land for N2 billion.

The suspension, according to the primate, was to allow for transparent investigations into allegations against the archbishop and the diocese.

Mr Ndukuba also announced the appointment of the Bishop of the Diocese of Aguata, Mr Ezeofor, as the supervising bishop of the church’s Diocese of Awka and coordinating bishop of the Province of the Niger.

This newspaper also reported that Mr Ibezim filed a lawsuit in which he challenged his suspension and a plan to discipline him over various allegations, including the selling of the church land for N2 billion.

However, the Board of the Diocese of Awka, Anglican Communion, rejected the suspension of Mr Ibezim on the basis that the decision did not follow due process.

The board further threatened to exit from the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and rejoin the Church of England if the decision was not reversed.

Police peace meeting

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the police commissioner in the state held the meeting with all the warring parties at his office to achieve peace.

“During the meeting, the Commissioner acknowledged the ongoing court proceedings relating to the matter and emphasised the importance of respecting the judicial process,” he said.

The spokesperson said the police chief

urged the parties to pursue peaceful dialogue and explore appropriate channels within the church’s established ecclesiastical hierarchy to resolve their differences, without prejudice to the ongoing court proceedings.

Mr Ama, according to the statement, told the warring bishops that parishioners and worshippers must not be drawn into the disagreement or made to suffer the consequences of differences among church leaders.

He called on all concerned to demonstrate restraint, mutual respect, and maturity in the interest of peace, unity, and the sanctity of worship.

The commissioner further cautioned against inflammatory statements, confrontational conduct, and any action capable of escalating tensions or threatening public peace.

He warned that the state police command would not hesitate to take appropriate lawful measures to prevent any breach of law and order.

The police chief reassured the bishops of the command’s impartiality in the matter and stressed that the command’s operatives would continue to discharge their responsibilities professionally, address legitimate security concerns, respect the authority of the court, and uphold the rights of all parties in accordance with the law.

“The Anambra State Police Command therefore calls on church leaders, parishioners, and other stakeholders to cooperate with ongoing peace efforts, respect due process, and refrain from any conduct capable of escalating the dispute into a security challenge,” he said.

Background

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the peace meeting initiated by the police followed tension on Sunday when some operatives were deployed at St Faith Anglican Church in Awka where Mr Ibezim reportedly officiated in the service despite his suspension.

There were reports that the police in the state were taking sides in the matter because of the alleged involvement of the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Onyekachi Ibezim.

The deputy governor is a younger brother to the suspended archbishop who is at the centre of the crisis.

But the police in the state have since denied the allegations.

In a statement on Monday, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Mr Ikenga, described reports suggesting that the police were taking sides in the dispute as misleading.

The spokesperson maintained that the presence of security personnel at the church should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any party or position in the ecclesiastical disagreement.

“The Command wishes to clarify that the deployment of police personnel to any location is guided by the need to maintain law and order, prevent a breakdown of peace, protect lives and property, and ensure the safety of all concerned, irrespective of their affiliations or positions in the dispute,” he had explained.