A church service at the United Methodist Church in Durumi, Federal Capital Territory, descended into complete chaos as it erupted into a full-scale brawl among the congregants.
A regular Sunday escalated into a fierce conflict lasting several hours, resulting in significant damage to church property and requiring rapid intervention by FCT command operatives to re-establish peace.
ThePUNCH reports that initial efforts by police to suppress the disturbance were unsuccessful until tear gas was deployed, compelling the fighters to withdraw.
After the incident, the officers locked the church doors, dispersing the rattled congregation and escorting several elders to the station for questioning.
A church member, who chose to remain unnamed and appeared visibly upset, expressed his dissatisfaction with the turmoil, highlighting an increasing rift among the church elders.
“This division is driven by a controversial decision to break away from their headquarters in the United States,” the member explained.
He added that, “as far as we understood, our headquarters sanctioned practices that conflict with Nigerian culture. Some senior members advocated for division and a new identity for the church, while others strongly resisted, leading to conflict within our place of worship. They even contemplated legal action at one stage, although the reasons it never proceeded remain unclear to me.
“The situation escalated when the pastor, speaking to the congregation, declared his intention to bring the issue to court, expressing a wish for the church to stay connected with the main organization. That one statement sparked an unmatched storm of anger I’ve never seen before.
“The violence intensified so quickly that the police, upon arrival, had to use tear gas as a last resort to disperse the surrounding crowd. As the situation calmed, authorities detained several elders for questioning.”
Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT police command, verified the incident upon inquiry and mentioned that Commissioner of Police Bennett Igweh had called the church elders to his office on Monday.
Adeh said, “The CP has requested that all church elders be present at the command by 10 a.m. tomorrow.”
