By okey alozie
A house of God is expected to be a place of worship, sanctification and praise centre, but same cannot be said of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, in Owerri Imo State Capital, where sex scandal is allegedly ravaging the household of God.
At the centre of the storm is a ranking Pastor Ephraim Okpulor accused by another top member of the church who happens to be a Deacon of having unholy relationship with the wife.
The Deacon, named Alozie Charles, revealed how his wife of over eight years and mother of three has been engaging in alleged immoral acts with a cleric in the church situated on Egbu Road, Owerri.
Addressing newsmen in Owerri at the weekend, Alozie Charles disclosed that the alleged sex escapades between his wife and the accused dates back to 2012 when the wife started as a staff of the pastor. The Deacon said that whenever the wife who works as the pastor’s accounts clerk comes back to the house from work, her behavior to him always changes forcing him to raise suspicion about her conduct. Apart from hiding to answer calls in hushed tones from unknown callers, she got involved in unwholesome acts like alcohol consumption and public misbehavior. The new life of the house wife prompted the maid to take over home activities since the wife refused to perform her household duties again. Out of annoyance, Alozie said that he seized the wife’s phone one fateful day and on careful study discovered implicating text messages and recorded discussions the wife allegedly had with the lover boy pastor.
According to Alozie, the wife pleaded guilty to the accusations but requested for forgiveness when she was confronted with the facts contained in her phone. Alozie went further to state that on receiving the hint of what transpired in the house, the randy pastor rushed to him for forgiveness, by promising to make him church treasurer if he can conceal the matter and keep it out of public knowledge.
For the deal to work out and the matter kept out of the reach of church members , Alozie stated that he told the pastor to involve the wife (Okpulor wife) as part of the agreement to conceal and settle the matter. The pastor not only failed to show up again as agreed but absconded from church functions and meetings without explanation. It was the absence of the run-away pastor that forced him to report the matter to the church council in Owerri and District Head quarters in Aba.
Alozie who is from Abia State claimed he employed all peaceful avenues as a means of settling the matter within the church but the pastor and church proved elusive. However, the concerned authorities failed to undertake proper investigation into the matter claiming lack of jurisdiction because the pastor has become a ranking cleric equivalent of a Bishop. Because the wife has eloped and where about of the three children unknown, Alozie resorted to fresh letters to concerned bodies for adequate attention on the matter.
In a letter he addressed to the Executive Committee of the church through the Executive Secretary, Eastern Nigeria Union Mission, Aba, Abia state, Alozie alleged “I write to bring to your notice and report the disheartening, unholy and ungodly relationship of adultery in the house of God between Ephraim U Okpulor, the President of Imo Conference, who also is your fellow member of the Exco and his staff, Mrs Chinwe Alozie, who happens to be my wife” As he went further to demand for adequate response from the church leaders on the matter.
Consequently, another letter from Ndukwe Nnawuchi, (SAN) chambers and addressed to the President, Eastern Nigerian Union of Conference (ENUC), Seventh Day Adventist Church, Aba on behalf of the embattled Alozie, reminded the church of their failure to investigate a case of adultery involving Pastor E.U Okpulor and Mrs Chinwe Alozie .
According to Iyke P. Ahanaba Esq (Head, Litigation) of the chamber, “Our client is surprised that a church which prides itself as a foremost church of Christ is involved in this messy scandal and even more surprised that you are using your good office to nip this scandalous behavior of your church members in the bud. God forbids that this injustice and scandal shall not be exposed. You cannot continue to allow your personal and selfish interest to becloud your sense of reasoning in this matter”
Alozie’s lawyer went further to expose threat to life posed on the church’s Deacon “It may interest you to know that currently and as we write you, our client is no longer safe as a result of threats and intimidation from your Pastor E.U Okpulor and our clients estranged wife, Mrs Chinwe Alozie”
The counsel went further to state that legal steps and procedures to set the law in motion against the church, Pastor Okpulor and Mrs Alozie over the case have commenced.
Seventh Day Adventists church in response to the complaint promised to put in place the proper administrative process and channel to look into the matter. According to Pastor B.E Udoh, President, ENUM appealed to Alozie to be “patient, calm down, and give God a chance to have his way” promising that they will not cover up anything nor anybody.
