The rivalry between parishioners of St Martin of Tours Parish and concerned inhabitants of Ihiala has taken a hazardous turn, with heavily armed men assaulting the church premises on Thursday night, according to Anaedoonline.ng.
Their mission was not immediately clear, but it was learned that the armed men, suspected to be Anambra Vigilante Group members, were led into the church premises by two Reverend Fathers, one of whom was the parish priest of a new parish established recently by the Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Reverend Jonas Benson Okoye.
According to an eyewitness, the armed men, who were dressed in black and covered their faces, handcuffed the security guards monitoring the church and took their phones.
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Rev Fr Val Eze, the parish priest of the Church, also confirmed the incident, claiming that the guys were still occupying the church premises as of 9.15 p.m. on Thursday.
He did, however, say that the intruders had not approached the priests’ home, and that “we are safe in the parish house.”
Remember that the Holy Ghost priests residing in the parish have not been celebrating Mass in Nnewi Diocese for the past six weeks since the Bishop has revoked their faculty.
The Bishop of the Diocese had accused the Holy Ghost Fathers of refusing to cooperate with the Diocese in resolving various concerns, such as attempts to form other parishes out of St Martin’s and payment to the owners of the church’s land acquisition.
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