Awka Anglican Clergy Exempts from Proposed Canterbury Return, Pledges Allegiance as Supervising Bishop, Ezeofor Assumes Duty

By Elochukwu Benjamin | IchieTimes

Despite heavy security presence and protests on Wednesday at the Cathedral Church of St Faith, Awka, the Supervising Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Awka, the Rt. Rev. Samuel Ezeofor, yesterday, assumed his supervisory responsibilities with a meeting with the clergymen of the Diocese and their wives.

Ezeofor was appointed by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, to oversee the affairs of the Diocese amid the lingering leadership crisis.

The former Bishop of the Diocese and Archbishop of Niger Province, Most Reverend Alexander Ibezim had been directed by the Primate to proceed on a six-month leave, to allow investigations into allegations of corruption bordering on the sale of church lands to the tune of over two billion naira.

Before Ezeofor commenced his official duties at St. Faith’s Anglican Cathedral, Awka, security operatives were heavily deployed around the church and its environs, a development that created an atmosphere of tension and raised concerns among observers.

It was gathered that the presence of security personnel drawn from the State Police Command, police operatives reportedly deployed from Abuja, and local security operatives of Agunechemba, was aimed at maintaining peace and order during the transition process and preventing any breakdown of law and order amid the protracted dispute over the leadership of the Diocese.

Addressing the clergymen and their wives during the meeting, Bishop Ezeofor said the part of his mandate was to restore peace and reconciliation in the Diocese, insisting that the Church will continue to march on.

He urged the clergymen to refrain from acts, comments or dispositions that will further escalate the crises in the Diocese, reminding them that the worship of God must be conducted with every sense of responsibility and dedication.

Citing Psalm 85, the prelate expressed the hope that God will restore peace, but the members of the Diocese must not relapse into backwardness.

In a letter of declaration, the Chairman of the Clergy Association of the Diocese, Venerable Dr. Geoffrey Muolokwu, made it clear that the clergymen did not endorse the communique of issued on the 16th of October, 2026, by the Diocesan Board, where it rejected the directive of the Primate.

Dissociating themselves from the communique, the clergymen restated their allegiance to the episcopacy of the Primate, insisting that they at no point considered pulling away from the Church of Nigeria, nor did they contemplate joining the Church of Canterbury.

However, while the meeting was underway, a group of protesters gathered outside the cathedral gate, displaying placards whose inscriptions were not clearly discernible in videos circulating on social media.

Footage from the scene showed mostly middle-aged men assembled around the entrance, with some using their placards to cover their faces as they chanted songs promoting peace and love.

One of the chants conveyed the message that peace exists where love exists, although the protesters’ exact demands could not be independently established from the available footage.

The demonstration was reportedly against the suspension of the Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop of the Diocese of Awka, Most Rev. Alexander Chibuzo Ibezim, and the appointment of Ezeofor to supervise the Diocese.

The protesters were, however, reportedly prevented from entering the cathedral premises and remained outside the gate, moving intermittently between the entrance and the Eke Awka Market area.

The directive by the Primate for Archbishop Ibezim had generated strong opposition from the Board of the Anglican Diocese of Awka, which has rejected Ezeofor’s appointment and urged church members and other relevant organs to remain loyal to Ibezim, insisting that he should continue to discharge his duties as Bishop of Awka.

The Board has also maintained that court cases relating to the dispute remain pending.

It warned that the Diocese could withdraw from the Church of Nigeria if what it described as interference in its affairs continued.