Scores of parishioners of St. Mary Magdalene Cathedral Anglican Communion in Oguta local government area of Imo state, have asked their Bishop, Chijioke Benjamin Oti to vacate the church.
It was gathered that trouble started on Saturday when the worshippers carrying placards blocked the entrance to the church, saying that they did not like the way issues in the church were being handled.
But when Bishop Oti was contacted on phone, he declined comment and said he was busy.
The protesting church members alleged that a priest of the church, Rev. Jasper Chikwe was unjustly removed over an allegation of “immoral behaviour.”
They alleged that the Bishop even ignored the peaceful intervention into the matter by some elders of the church.
According to Mr. Israel Onyeoyibo, “On the moral aspect of it, the church under Bishop Oti is not moving the way it ought to be moving.
“His administration is so hard, so inconsiderate and so harsh that the people are over-burdened by series of levy on the parishioners.
“Under Bishop Oti, the emphasis is moving away from Christ to money and this is causing a lot of problems. By this also, the spiritual aspect of the church is dying.”
Speaking also, Mrs. Joy Nnani said: “We are protesting because our Bishop has failed to attend to our spiritual needs and has been so hard-hearted. He has also frustrated many of our efforts to move the church forward.”
