Breaking News: Assemblies of God crisis goes deadly, as Army, Police hired by Chid Okoroafor chase Paul Emeka out

www.odogwublog.com that the embattled factional General Superintendent of the church, Rev. Professor Paul Emeka, this evening raised alarm alleging forceful ejection from the National Secretariat of the Church, located at Ozubulu street, Independence layout Enugu, by thugs hired by his adversary, Rev Dr Chidi Okoroafor, in conspiracy with a section of the Enugu state police command and a detachment of soldiers from 82 division of  the Nigerian army bringing a deadly twist in the perennial crisis rocking the Assemblies of God, Nigeria.

Rev Professor Emeka said a combined team of the police and soldiers aided his rival, Rev. Dr Chidi Okoroafor to eject him from the National Secretariat of the church, after spraying tear gas on his workers and Priests loyal to him while thugs hired by Rev Okoroafor broke into the offices with dangerous equipment.

To that effect, some of the workers sustained injuries while many others took to their heels.

According to Professor Emeka, the demand by his members to see their acclaimed letter of authority  from the Supreme court to eject him forcefully from the National secretariat was rebuffed by the Rev. Chidi Okoroafor and his group. And with the aid of the police and soldiers, they forced them to vacate the National Secretariat for Rev Chidi Okoroafor and his faction.

Professor Emeka lamented that the Supreme court judgment delivered on February 24,2017 even though it struck out his suit alleging deprive of his fundamental human rights on the ground that it lacks merit and awarded no cost, but  did not declare  Rev .Chidi Okoroafor as the winner suit. Based on the interpretation of which his lawyers has commenced filed a fresh suit on writ of summons at the high court in Enugu,of which the defendants[Rev Chidi Okoroafor group] were properly served of the date of the suit.

Professor Emeka said the police were very much aware of the position and wondered why they turned back to give Rev Chidi Okoroafor the backing to have forcefully ejected him from the National headquarter of the church.

His words: “Both parties were invited by the Police after the judgment where the Commissioner of Police made it clear that nothing had changed and that there was no declarative judgment or order by the court. We also went to the Force headquarters Abuja, where the Inspector General of Police said the same thing in the presence of lawyers who interpreted the judgment. But yesterday (Wednesday, the same Police led the Okoroafor faction into the secretariat to take over the place. Whatever influenced the Commissioner of Police is what we don’t know, because we don’t believe they acted based on judgment of court'.

  
Reacting to the development,  the lead counsel to Rev Professor Emeka lawyers, Barr Vin Eke Obetta told 'The Authority' that the original move by the bailif who came from a private law chamber based in Abuja,'Maxwell Opara and Associates' was to get police protection to go and serve a letter of the Supreme Court judgment  to Rev. Professor Paul Emeka. Upon which the Deputy chief Registrar of Enugu high court, Mrs C.C. Amadi approved for him. But along the line, Rev Chidi Okoroafor faction connived with him, conspired with the Enugu state Police Commissioner, Dan Mallam Mohammed to have forcefully ejected his client from his office, and effected injuries on some of his workers and priests who were with him in the process. He vowed to use every judicious press in seeking redress for his client[Rev Paul Emeka].


But the Police and Army have however denied any complicity, stressing
they were there to protect officials of the court and enforce law and order.
.
The Enugu Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu said: “The Enugu
state command of the Nigeria police Force wish to  make it
categorically clear  that  police never evicted  any factional  member
of the Assemblies of God church as being contemplated but provided
security to the officers of the supreme court and that of the state
High court who were in Enugu to perform their lawful duties at the
secretariat of the Assemblies of God church and that was based on the
need not to give way to violence and eventual loss of lives and
destruction of properties as if security were not given to the court
officials,

Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Enugu, Col Musa
Sagir said : “Nobody was brutalized by our personnel. You might be
aware that the church has been in court for sometimes now; a supreme
court judgment was given in favour of a party and I learnt the police
in Enugu were there to enforce the court order. Our patrol team was
also within the general area, in staging position to assist the police
in case of impending breakdown of law”.

Attempts to reach Rev Dr Chidi Okoroafor before filing this report was not successful but one of his spokesman told odogwubog.com that they took over the National headquarter in compliance with supreme court judgment and that a bailiff from the Supreme court was on the ground to have stimulated the process.