CHURCH Demolition: MFM demands compensation from Government

The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry has demanded an unreserved apology from the Enugu State Government for demolishing its South-East Regional Headquarters One, Enugu.

The church also described the demolition as a violation of the people’s right to worship as it looks forward to a court’s decision on the demolition.

PUNCH Metro had reported penultimate week that the 5,000-seat auditorium, which served as the regional headquarters of the church, few metres away from the Zik Avenue Bridge, Uwani, was demolished by officials of the Enugu State Ministry of Capital Territory Development Authority.

Commissioner for ECTDA, Mr. Iyke Ugwegede, had said the structure was demolished because it was about 2,100 square metres plan erected on two plots of land, with a total area of approximately 2,000 square metres.

 Ugwegede explained that the structure was illegal, because its application for approval was rejected in March, 2012, adding that the structure was built on waterways and showed many defects.

However, the Chairman, Publicity Committee of MFM, Pastor Oladele Bank-Olemoh, maintained that the structure was not obstructing the flow of the river and also did not encroach on government land as alleged by the commissioner.

He described the demolition as illegal because of a subsisting High Court order.

Bank-Olemoh argued that several other buildings along the same road, where its regional headquarters was demolished, were still standing.

“This (demolition) leaves much to be desired of the motive behind the exercise,” he said.

The regional pastor of the church, Kennedy Udogaranye, displayed copies of all legal documents on the land and approvals of the building structure by the state government to newsmen, alleging that there was more to the exercise than met the eye.

 Udogaranye said, “I believe there was an ulterior motive for the action,” asserting that the church obtained approvals for the building in 1998, 2002 and 2010 for expansion after securing a Certificate of Occupancy on the land as far back as 1998.

 “It is very clear they were unnecessarily desperate to demolish our church. Why didn’t they give us ample time to relocate to the new site? We were given only three days to vacate before the government agents came with their caterpillars and worked on the church building from 8am to 8pm.”

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