If God does not intervene, the Lifeline Assembly Church located at No 1, Orlu road, Owerri will be pulled down within the next few days, following directives and order from the Owerri Capital Development Authority, OCDA.
OCDA had issued a 14 day notice for the church to be relocated or have it reduced to rubbles, as the Agency alleges that the church is an illegal structure.
In a letter dated September 16, 2013 and signed by one Solomon Nwarie, OCDA said that Lifeline Assembly should “within 14 days from the date of issuance of the violation Form, re-instate the piece of land to the state in which it was, prior to the commencement of illegal/defective structure”.
However, in a reply to OCDA, the Counsel to the Church, O C Ewurum & Co, Solicitors and Barristers, informed the Agency that Lifeline Assembly met all the requirements before it entered into the property, whose documents are in the custody of OCDA’s office in Owerri.
But an impeccable source told this Newspaper that the plot to level the Church could be political, as it is alleged that the former Governor of Imo State, Dr Ikedi Ohakim’s family is said to be close to the church and worshipped there when they were in Douglas House, which was just a stone throw from the Church.
Our source said that the present administration believes that owners and followers of Lifeline Assembly may have worked for the former Governor during the elections, and therefore most pay for their “sins” now.
When Trumpeta contacted sources at Lifeline Assembly, they said that the Church is the House of God, as they preach the WORD and therefore do not play politics, even though brethren are free to express their civic rights during elections.
“Please, Lifeline Assembly is a Church and does not play politics. This Church has no special relationship with any political Group, but individuals are free to come here and worship God. The House of God does not segregate” A source told Trumpeta.
Meanwhile, OCDA said that the demolition threat issued to Lifeline Assembly is not political, asking that Government should be left out, as OCDA is simply doing its job, without influence from any quarter.
“Lifeline Assembly contravened the Owerri master plan. The owners of the Church must adhere to the legalities or be pulled down”, the source maintained.
However, Owerri residents have deplored the recent demolition exercises going on in the state, as the majority of them believe that they are all about political vendetta, pointing out that it was wicked for Government to demolition buildings without feasibility studies and compensation to owners.
Yesterday, Bishops and other clerics invaded Imo State Government House, Owerri, to have a meeting with the State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. It was learnt that the clerics may have stormed the Government House over the spate of demolition of churches in the state, and to bury the issue of Abortion Law, which has been repealed by the Imo House of Assembly.
