Enugu State Government Demolish Mountain of Fire Church building

It was a day of anger in Enugu state, Nigeria on Thursday as workers from the Enugu State Ministry of Capital Territory Development Authority could not be swayed by emotions and pleas as they brought down the structures housing the regional headquarters of the Mountain of Fire Ministries.

The government officials, who appeared to be under instruction mercilessly brought down the mighty edifice and not even the ferocious prayer of worshipers, who had gathered at the church premises could stop them.

The over 5000 capacity church building which had been occupied by the church in the last fifteen years was the first branch of the church in the South-East and South-South geo political zones.

The church sited few metres away from the Zik Avenue bridge on Uwani has been a subject of contention since the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime.

 Government had said that the church building was not only wrongly sited but constitutes a barrier to the flow of Asata River.
About same time last year, government moved to demolish the structure but was prevented from doing so by leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other church leaders in the state who asked government to relocate the church to an alternative place if it feels strongly that the premises was wrongly occupied. By then, the church had equally gone to court to stop the demolition.

Soon after, government was reported to have given the church 20 plots of land at Emeka Ebila Road, but the church felt it should be backed by cash to enable it rebuild the church, especially as it allegedly had necessary documents and approvals backing its ownership of the land and the church building.

The church, it was gathered, had also requested for some time to enable it put up a structure at the new site.

However, tempers rose on Thursday when two bulldozers led by officials of Enugu State Capital Territory stormed the scene.

Several worshipers were in the church praying when they arrived and started pulling down the structures.

At first, worshipers refused to leave the church hall and preferred that they be buried with the collapsing walls but had reneged apparently discovering that the demolishers were determined.