Police Shut Down Church In Abuja After Members Engaged In A Free For All Fight

On Sunday, August 18, a dramatic altercation broke out at the United Methodist Church in Durumi, Abuja, causing the service to end abruptly. The conflict, which lasted for hours, resulted in significant damage to the church’s property and required intervention from the FCT command operatives to restore order.

Initial attempts by the police to quell the disturbance were unsuccessful until they resorted to using tear gas. Following the incident, the police locked the church, dismissed the congregation, and took several elders to the station for questioning.

A church member, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed disappointment over the conflict, attributing it to a longstanding rift among the church elders regarding a decision to separate from their headquarters in the United States. The member explained that the headquarters had legalized practices that were not in line with Nigerian culture, leading to a faction within the church.

Advertisements

“Our headquarters is in America, and they have legalized some practices that are not part of our culture. Some elders believe we should break away and rename the church, while others oppose this move. This disagreement has created a division within the church. At one point, there was talk of going to court, but it never happened,” the member said.

The situation escalated during the service when the pastor announced plans to take the matter to court and expressed his desire for the church to remain affiliated with the headquarters. This announcement triggered the violent clash. “I have never witnessed anything like this before. The fight was so intense that the police had to use tear gas to stop it. Some elders were taken to the station for interrogation,” the member added.

Confirming the incident, FCT command police spokesperson Josephine Adeh stated that the Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh, has summoned all church elders to his office on Monday, August 19, at 10 am.