Enugu, church fight over land

The Enugu State Housing Development Corporation and the Anglican church in Enugu are locked in a fierce battle over the ownership of a nine-hectare piece of land.
The corporation planned to use  the land for a housing estate after ascertaining that it had been lying fallow for over 50 years.
When the corporation entered the land located at the Christ Church Uwani based on the revocation letter by the Ministry of Lands, it was stiffly resisted by irate priests of the church led by Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma.
But the Managing Director and chirf executive officer of the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation, Mr. Vitalis Emeka Onah, painted a gory story of the situation. He alleged to have been manhandled by the priests and church members, as a result sustained injuries. Onah had gone there after receiving a distress call from the director of works, Pius Chukwunta who was beaten to pulp.
The church denied these allegations but heaped the the blame on  government officials of attacking and wounding four priests in the process.
However,  Onah insisted that the church members were the ones who shot the first salvo by attempting to stop the bulldozers sent to work on the land for immediate parcelation.
The land in contention,  according to Onah  was previously on lease to the church but that the lease expired several years ago, reversing the ownership to the government.
He added that the land was duly allocated to the Housing Corporation by the ministry of land before the clearing process began on May 22.
According to him, “two properties situated at Uwani, Enugu were leased by the Enugu State Government to the Anglican Communion. These properties were registered as No 43/43/778 dated 5/3/1946 and 27/27/273 dated 4/2/1961 and leased for 5 and 20years respectively.
“The said leases were for educational and agricultural purposes only.  By effluxion of time, the leases had long elapsed without a renewal.
“Following series of notices to the Anglican communion to that effect and their refusal to acknowledge the letters sent to them; coupled with the breach of convenant contained therein; non-development within the stipulated period; deviation from purpose clauses among others, the Enugu State government revoked the said lease agreements and duly notified the Anglican Communion”.
Onah added that, “Upon revocation of the properties, the State Government through its Housing Corporation led by the Director of Works, Mr Chukwunta entered the empty parcel of land with the intention of clearing the site and mounting it’s signpost ‘Transparency Estate’.
Narrating the alleged involvement of ArchBishop Chukwuma, he said, “Unknown to the Director of Works and his workers, the ArchBishop of the Anglican Communion, Lord Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, (Bishop Chukwuma ) had laid ambush with some members of his congregation and rough looking young men clutching dangerous weapons and gallons of gasoline. Upon entry into the land, Bishop Chukwuma and his men swooped on our staff and beat them up. The Bishop personally approached the director of works, slapped him severally, collected a club from one of his boys and hit the director continually with it until the director broke one of his arms.
“Emboldened by the actions of their Bishop, the other adherents and thugs accompanying him went beserk, hauling stones at our staff and pouring gasoline on the five bulldozers on site, threatening to set our staff and equipment ablaze. One of my fleeing staff alerted me of the ugly development on phone and I promptly called the Commissioner of Police”.
The MD, who showed journalists some bruises on his right shoulder, said he escaped death by the whiskers.
According to him, “no sooner had I arrived the scene at Uwani, than a couple of Reverends descended on me while I was asking them to stop hauling stones at the workers. One hit me with a heavy stone inflicting injury on me while another came rushed me with a large chunk of wood. In the ensuing mayhem, one of the said thugs dressed as a reverend approached one of my staff and poured a gallon of gasoline on him before the Commissioner of Police and his team arrived the scene.  The Commissioner of Police in unequivocal terms admonished the church leaders and their thugs for brazenly taking laws into their hands and resorting to self help.
“He finally advised them to seek redress in a court of law if they want to challenge the powers of a Governor to revoke the said parcel of land”.
He maintained that “the revocation of the parcel of land was done in accordance with the laws and due process.
“The said parcel of land was empty/vacant with no structures except for a small clinic situated very far away from the scene of the incidence and as such the issue of demolition of structures as alleged by the Bishop was an outright lie.
“The Bishop had earlier threatened to burn and roast any government official who ventures into the said parcel of land and true to his threats, they came into the land armed with petrol.
“The Bishop had told the director of works that the governor of Enugu State was lucky not to have been physically present otherwise, he would have done worse things to him”.
“Even the bible encouraged us to respect those in authority and not to alter landmarks. If Bishop Chukwuma feels that injustice is being done to him and his church, he needs to take it up with the court rather than resorting to violence. I call on all well meaning Nigerians and the Law enforcement agents to call Bishop Chukwuma to order”, he concluded.
But the Anglican church in its version of the fracas, claimed that more than six persons, including four  priests, were  allegedly beaten to stupor by some members of task-force working with the Enugu State Housing Corporation. They absolved Archbishop Chukwuma from the attack.
They gave the names of the victims as Reverends Collins Odoabuchi, Mbaka Peter, Eugene, and Maxwell Onyia.
Others members of the church  said to have been affected were Ekpecha Okechukwu and Naomi Ibekwe.  Naomi Ibekwe claimed that she was hit iron and hard objects.
One of the victims, who gave her name as Naomi Ibekwe told journalists that she was hit by iron and hard objects, including stones causing bruises and severe injuries on her.
Reacting to the incident, the State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, told the angry church leaders  and their faithful at the scene of the disturbance that they should allow peace to reign as negotiation had begun.
“We have discussed with the church. If anybody is injured, we will not take it lightly. We have already asked that a formal report be made and we will follow it up. We have agreed on peace move and we are following it up”, he stated.
Also speaking, the Priest in-charge of the Christ Church, Venerable  N. Aghadi said, “We have talked at length and discussed very progressively.
“The Commissioner of Police is requesting that we should please go home and rest. He has promised that the matter is in good hand and that immediately the Archbishop returns, he will have meeting with him”.
While the clash lasted on Friday, five bulldozers were being used to demolish the structures at the disputed land inside the Church premises.
Findings showed that the Church was dedicated by His Grace, the Most Reverend C . J. Patterson, the then ArchBishop of West Africa and Bishop of the Niger in 1965.