Enugu govt demolishes church, equipment worth N70m

The Enugu State Government has demolished The Master Builder Global Church, Enugu branch worship centre.
Sunday PUNCH was told that the church located at No. 19, Park Avenue, GRA, beside the Enugu Golf Club, was demolished by the officials of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority on Thursday.
Conducting journalists round the demolished worship centre on Saturday, the Administrative  Pastor of the church, Mr Emmanuel Bamidele, described the demolition as ungodly and an attack on the body of Christ.
He said it was absurd that a government that claimed to have a Christian governor would demolish a worship centre.
Bamidele said, “The owner of the property is overseas. The property was leased to the church for a certain number of years because we did not intend to stay permanently on the property. So, when we started, we applied to the state capital territory development authority to put glass tenet but approval was denied.
“So, we decided to put and  ordinary tenet. However, before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, the ECTDA came and sealed the premises. We called the governor who after listening to us said that it would be resolved amicably. We have had a meeting with the Chairman of the ECTDA, Dr Josef Onoh, and we are still discussing.
Regrettably, on Wednesday at about 10am, I was in the church with our members, suddenly I heard a bang on the gate. I decided to look through the window and saw a bulldozer pulling down the perimeter fence of the property. I ran out in company with my colleagues and went to meet the person in charge.
“They didn’t talk to us and the bulldozer entered the premises and started demolishing the church tenet and all the equipment in it worth over N70m.”
Bamidele said that all his appeal to the officials of the ECTDA to allow them remove their equipment, which he said were imported few days earlier, was rebuffed.
The administrator appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to ensure that the church’s property destroyed was replaced.
When our correspondent contacted Onoh on the telephone, he declined to comment on the matter and switched off his phone.
Punch