The state government had few months ago commenced a massive clean-up exercise aimed at decongesting Okpoko and Onitsha waterways.
Officials of the Anambra State Government have reportedly beaten up Onitsha-based prophet, Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere, more commonly called Odumeje, and demolished his church building.
SaharaReporters learnt that Odumeje, popular for his dance steps, and founder of the Mountain of Holy Ghost Intervention and Deliverance Ministry, was said to have been beaten up while he and other members tried to convince the taskforce not to demolish his church in Onitsha on Thursday.
The church popularly known as “land of freedom and miracle centre” had been marked for demolition shortly after former Central Bank Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo was sworn in as the governor of the state.
Some opinion leaders in Anambra had tagged the state government’s action as a witch-hunt because Odumeje reportedly did not support Soludo during the Governorship election that brought him in November 2021.
Located at Bida Road, Fegge, Onitsha, the church was identified and marked for demolition among over 200 other houses, for obstruction and blocking the drainage way within the Fegge-Onitsha, Ogbaru and their environs.
The state government had few months ago commenced a massive clean-up exercise aimed at decongesting Okpoko and Onitsha waterways so as to avert environmental threats associated with flooding.
Prophet Odumeje had thanked the governor for keeping to his campaign promises of riding Onitsha and its environs of refuse and making it a human habitation, not knowing that his church would be affected.
Soludo had while officially launching the dredging of Sakamori in Ogbaru Local Government Area, Onitsha, explained that the exercise would be replicated in all the local government areas of the state.
He had said that the citizens’ habits of erecting structures on flood plains, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, excessive rainfall and deforestation were identified as the causative factors, which helped to render the communities vulnerable.
However, in implementing his promises, on Thursday, Soludo's taskforce went and demolished the ministry that holds over 2500 worshippers.
The taskforce was said to have demolished the church for falling short of the Anambra building plan.