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…Urges Govt. To pay compensation.
FRANCIS IGATA,ENUGU.
The authorities of Mountain of Fire and Miracles church has made a passionate appeal to the Enugu State Government to protect it’s new regional headquarters from the antics of hoodlums and trespassers located at Emeka Ibila street,along Agbani road, Enugu.
The new church site was officially allocated to the Church by the state government.
The regional overseer of the church for South East zone, Pastor Rotimi Olugbule,while briefing newsmen in Enugu yesterday raised alarm that there are botched plans by unscrupulous elements and dissidents to demolish the new structures which the church are struggling hard to erect in the new site.
Conducting newsmen round the new site of the church premises,he narrated how yet-to-be identified gunmen who wielded machetes and other dangerous weapons attacked the Church on early Sunday, December 1, morning at about 12.40am.
He said:”After beating up and inflicting injuries on two security men on duty, they went ahead to pull down the entire concrete fence of the church and burnt part of the altar”.
The relocation of South East regional headquarters of Mountain of Fire and miracles Church,Enugu to their new site along Agbani road was aftermath of the quit order from authorities of Enugu state government that their former regional headquarter at Ziks Avenue, beside the bridge is causing a blockade to the dualisation of the road.
They were officially allotted fresh plots of Land at Emeka Ibilla street to vacate. Their delay to the quit notice resulted in government bulldozers,pulling down their mansion at Ziks avenue at the end of September.
A minister of the church,Pastor Kennedy Udeogaranya while Corroboration the statement,lamented that the church is presently in pains of attacks from several quarters,alleging that some disgruntled elements from a faction of Ngwo Youths have threatened that they will deal with the church on the claim that the land belongs to their community.
” A section of the Church compound are being claimed by ministry of water resources, while some other illegal occupants of the plots have refused to park out,even when it was abundantly clear to them that the Enugu state government has officially transferred the ownership of the plots of land to the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church, as a compensation for the destruction of their initial headquarter at Ziks Avenue, Enugu” said the Pastor.
Pastor Udeogaranya pleaded with the Enugu state government to as a matter of urgency,help the church in cautioning the dissidents Youths from Ngwo community from attacking the church henceforth,just as the Ministry of water resources should avoid further encroachment into the Church plots of land.
He further appealed to the state government to pay them compensation to assist them in their effort of raising another befitting mansion at the new site to serve as the South East regional headquarter of the church,stating that it has not been easy for the Church in sourcing funds for the project.
According to him,they have hoped that the state government will give them compensation after ejecting them from Ziks avenue, but up to the moment, no such help from the state government have come to the way of the church.
