ESHC Manhandles Anglican Priests Over Land Dispute

Four priests of the Anglican Church, Enugu, and over six other persons, were on Friday reportedly beaten up when members of the task force from the Enugu State Housing Corporation (ESHC), led by its managing director, Vitalis Emeka Onah, clashed with angry youths of the church over land dispute. The victims include Reverends Collins Odoabuchi, Mbaka Peter, Eugene, and Maxwell Onyia. Others are Ekpecha Okechukwu and Naomi Ibekwe.

It was also learnt that Onah narrowly escaped being lynched by the youth of the church during what was described as a brutal reprisal attack.

Trouble was said to have started on Friday when members of the task force, accompanied by armed policemen, invaded a parcel of land said to belong to the Church (Anglican Church Communion), an action that attracted the wrath of the clergymen and members of the church. The clerics were said to have tried to stop the task force from carrying out the demolition exercise, but they were overpowered.

A victim who gave her name as Ibekwe Naomi, told our reporter that she was hit with iron and other hard objects which caused severe injuries on her.

DailyTrust learnt that, if not for the timely intervention of the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State command, Muhammed Abubakar Adamu, who personally went to the scene, there would have been more casualties as the members of the task force threatened hell while the exercise lasted.

It was further learnt that the state government had revoked the land, with the intention of building an estate to be known as “Transparency Estate.”

CP Adamu advised the angry church leaders and their faithful to 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 a peace move and we are following it up.”

Corroborating the statement of the police boss, the priest in charge of the 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 hands and that immediately the archbishop returns, he will have a meeting with him.”

When our reporter visited the scene on Friday, several bulldozers were seen demolishing structures on the disputed land, which was dedicated in 1965 by His Grace, the Most Reverend C. J. Patterson, the then Archbishop of West Africa and Bishop of the Niger.