A church service at the United Methodist Church in the Durumi area of the Federal Capital Territory was abruptly halted on Sunday after a serious fight broke out among congregants, leading to significant damage to church property.
The altercation, which reportedly lasted for hours, escalated to the point where operatives from the FCT Police Command were called in to restore order. Initial efforts by the police to quell the disturbance were unsuccessful until they resorted to using tear gas.
According to eyewitnesses, the police eventually locked the church, dismissed the members, and took some elders to the station for interrogation.
A church member, who requested anonymity, revealed that the conflict stemmed from a deepening rift among the church elders over the decision to separate from their headquarters in the United States. The disagreement is rooted in the headquarters’ legalization of certain practices that the Nigerian congregation finds culturally unacceptable.
“Our headquarters is in America, and they have legalized some practices that are not part of our culture. Some elders believe we should pull out and give the church a new name, but others are against it. This disagreement has created factions within the church,” the member explained.
The situation escalated during the service when the pastor announced plans to take the matter to court while expressing his wish to remain aligned with the headquarters. This announcement triggered the violent clash among the congregants.
“I have never witnessed anything like this in my life. The fight was so intense that even when the police arrived, they couldn’t stop it until they fired tear gas. Some of the church elders were taken to the station for questioning after the incident,” the church member added.
Confirming the incident, the FCT Police Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, stated that the Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh, has summoned the church elders for a meeting at the command office on Monday at 10 a.m.
This incident has brought to light the deep divisions within the church community, highlighting the broader challenges faced by religious institutions when navigating cultural and legal differences across borders.
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