Youth members of the Assemblies of God Church, Zion Family, located at 134B Wethedral Road, Owerri, Imo State, on Sunday protested a petition against their pastor by locking the church premises and barricading the entrance. The action forced congregants to return home as no service was held despite the presence of other church members.
The youths arrived early and sealed the church in response to a petition filed by the Odionyemma family against their officiating minister, Reverend Obinna Nwoko. The petition accused the pastor of misconduct, particularly regarding the use of the Ofo, a traditional Igbo staff of authority.
The youths, however, dismissed the allegations as false, claiming the Odionyemma family was interfering in church affairs. They stated that their action was aimed at pressing home their position and resisting undue influence from the family.
Kingsley Asuzu, President of the church’s youth fellowship, explained to journalists that the Odionyemma family had long sought to assert their influence over the church. He expressed anger over the petition sent to the General Council of the church in Enugu, which accused Rev. Nwoko of gross misconduct.
Asuzu denied the allegations, stating, “How can they accuse him of gross misconduct? They only want to use that to hang him in their petition. He has done nothing wrong, and the family should rather be blamed for what’s happening in the church.”
He recounted an incident where family members allegedly disrupted a service by forcefully taking the microphone from the pastor and asking him to sit down. “The problem is that they have been forcing the minister to do their wishes, but when he refused, they brought the idea of writing a petition against him, alleging that he had gone traditional in his ministrations by ending his prayers or teachings with ‘Ofo.’ But this is not true,” Asuzu said.
He further emphasized the youth’s resolve to resist injustice, stating, “We wish to let the General Superintendent and all the Assemblies of God community, both locally, nationally, and internationally, know that the Zion family will stop at nothing to resist, revolt, and withstand any appearance of injustice or unfairness in the process of handling the petition.”
When contacted, Pastor Godfrey Odionyemma acknowledged the petition but declined to comment further, stating that the matter was being handled by the church’s apex leadership.
“The issue you called for is currently under the careful handling of the apex leadership of the Assemblies of God Church, Nigeria. As such, I have not received the necessary authorization from the church leadership in Enugu State to engage in further discussions on this matter,” Odionyemma said.
He added, “I believe it is essential to honour our church’s constitution and its guiding principles as we navigate these challenges at this time. Therefore, I will refrain from commenting on the unrest at this time, trusting that our church leaders will handle the situation with the wisdom and fairness it deserves.”
Efforts to reach the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye, for comments were unsuccessful, as he did not answer calls or respond to messages sent via WhatsApp.
The situation has left the church in disarray, with members awaiting a resolution from the church’s leadership in Enugu.