By Our Correspondent
The embattled Bishop of the Sapele Diocese Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Erifeta (JP) and others have been quizzed by the zone 5 Nigeria Police Benin City Edo State over alleged charges of financial misappropriation, forgery, threat to life, threat to kidnap leveled against them by members of the church.
According to sources close to the church, Bishop Erifeta arrived Zone 5 Nigeria Police, Benin City after he got wing of his planned arrest by the police who sought a warrant of his arrest for turning down their earlier invitation for questioning concerning the allegations made against him and others by the members of the rescue group of the church.
The Bishop was however, later let out of the police dragnet after his statement was obtained while their investigation continues.
In a petition letter written and dated 9th October, 2015 to the Inspector General of Police by members of the Rescue group of the Sapele Diocese Anglican Communion through their lawyer, Barrister Jonathan Ekperusi of the Excellence Solicitors and a Legal Practitioners and Consultant Service, Effurun- Warri, Delta State, the group stated that the petition is in relation to the threat to the life, threat to kidnap of their clients and the massive fraud being perpetrated on the Sapele Diocese of the church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion by Rt. Rev. (Dr) Avwenayeri Erifeta (JP) (Bishop of the Diocese) Mrs. C.T. Erifeta (Wife to the Bishop and Chairman Mothers union, Mr. Churchill Akure Diocese Publicity Secretary) and others, over the maladministration of the finances and business of the Diocese.
The petitioners are among the leaders of the Sapele Diocese who have been in the leadership of the Anglican Church in Sapele for over fifty years. The petition explained further that their clients complained that Rt. Rev. (Dr.) Blessing Avwenayeri Erifeta (JP) and others have been mismanaging the finances and business of the Diocese since Rt. Rev. (Dr.) Erifeta assumed office as Bishop of Sapele Diocese about six years ago.
The complaints includes; “misappropriation of the funds of the Holy Trinity Grammar School (owned by the Diocese) misappropriation of the funds of the pure water factory owned by the Diocese, misappropriation of the funds of the co-operative society run by the priests in the Diocese including refusal to release the sum of eighty million naira belonging to the co-operative society, refusal to pay into the Diocese Bank Account, the proceeds from the sale of Diocesan properties, illegal diversion of Diocesan fund into the Bishops Childrens Bank Accounts, unauthorized purchase of 2million private Chrysler car with Diocesan funds for the Bishops personal life amongst others.”
The lawyer noted that their clients are worried that Rt. Rev. (Dr.) Blessing Erifeta and his cohorts have been misappropriating the funds of the Diocesan Clergy cooperative society and have refused to comply with the several letters of demand from the Delta State Ministry of Commerce and Industry requesting for the books of Co-operative Society to be submitted for inspection and audit and directing that the Annual General Meeting of the Co-operative Society should be held and the report sent to the ministry for compliance monitoring, adding that copies of all relevant document as to the claims of all the fraudulent practices of the Bishop are available for the General public to go through the letter of petition to the police.
The petition added that when their clients complained to the primate of the church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) for intervention, Rt. Rev. BA. Erifeta and his cohorts resorted to making threats to kill and kidnap their clients because of their complaints over the above matter, adding that the Bishop and his group had earlier sent suspected cultists after their client in Sapele when the youth of the Diocese started protesting against their style of Administration.
They therefore, called on the Police to use their good office to cause a thorough investigation into the matter to cross-check the minutes Books of the Diocesan Board Meetings to ascertain the veracity of the fraudulent misrepresentations of Rt. Rev. Erifeta and his cronies in mortgaging the church properties for his personal aggrandizement.
Meanwhile, the Bishop of the Diocese, Sapele Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. B.A. Erifeta (JP) has in a suit No. OUHC/161/2015, through his lawyer Barrister V.O. Afure, of the All While Chambers Effurun entered into an Ex-Parte Motion at the Udu Judicial Division Holden at Otor-Udu, Delta State demanding the sum of N10,000,000.00 against members of the Sapele Diocese and Rescue group being damages for alleged harassment, intimidation, humiliation, threat to kill, Harm and/ or Injure applicants members, the Bishop and locking up the doors to the church and seal to the church premises an or apology and retraction of the false and allegation against the Bishop of the church which is to be published in one National Daily Newspaper.
The case has since came up for hearing, since Thursday 17th September, 2015, where the court having heard V.O Afure Esq. moved the motion and ordered the police from the State Divisional Police officer to send Police officers from the division to supervise the unlocking of the Cathedral church of St. Lukes Boyo Road Sapele which has since been carried out, yet members of the church refused to worship in the said church insisting that the matters must be resolved and the church consecrated before they could worship their God therein to avoid a repeat of the same incident which happened in 1963.
In a counter- Affidavit to the affidavit in support of the Applicants Motions on Notice Dated 14th September, 2015, entered into by one Faith Ese Efemena Secretary to the Law firm of Excellence solicitors on behalf of rescue group, it states that contrary to paragraph 6 and others of the Affidavit of the Bishop, the 6 years leadership of the problems, resulting in protest and reduction in the membership of the church in the Diocese, explained further that the dictatorial leadership style of the Bishop dated back to when he assumed leadership as a Bishop of the Diocese.
