Anglican Church members of the Diocese on the Lake in the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest over the crisis rocking Anglican Communion in the diocese.
The crisis took a different twist recently leading to the presiding Bishop of the diocese Rt. Rev. C.B.N. Otti, dragging three senior Priest of the diocese Ven. Canon Eugene Onwubie, Rev. Eugene Iheanacho and Ven. Caleb Udom, to court for refusing to vacate the church premises where they resided with their families.
Sources in the Anglican diocese disclosed that the Bishop Otti had dragged the priest in charge of Emmanuel Anglican Church Izombe and his St. Mathias Anglican Church, Nkwesi counterpart to face a law suit for not submitting their ordination certificates.
A member of St. Mathias Anglican Church, Nkwesi Mr. Edwin Onyemaechi who spoke on behalf of the protesters kicked against the Bishop’s action saying the matter is a minor one that could have been settled out of court.
Another source in the diocese said trouble started when the Bishop accused the embattled Priests of withholding Church proceeds meant to be remitted to the diocese from their various parishes.
According to the source, the priests, withheld the proceeds because they were been owed salaries by the Bishop which led to the Priests been sued and ordered to vacate their official residences.
