The wrangling in the United Methodist Church, Nigeria, has again taken a different dimension as a Zimbabwean bishop of the church, Eben K. Nhiwatiwa, was reported to have been arrested in Nigeria
Nhiwatiwa who was in Nigeria to meet with the members of the church in order to kick start the process of electing a new bishop of the church in Nigeria after the resignation of the former bishop, John Wesley Yohanna, was reported to have been arrested in Yola, Adamawa State and whisked to the Abuja headquarters of the Nigerian Immigration Service.
In a statement made available to journalists in Jalingo, Taraba State on Sunday, the church expressed sadness at the arrest and urged relevant authorities to as a matter of urgency wade in by ensuring his immediate release.
Believing that some members of the breakaway faction of the church are behind the arrest, the church, in the statement signed by a pastor, Salisu Waziri, said operatives of the NIS still went ahead to detain him despite having all the required documents.
The church, as observed by our reporter, have been factionalized since the last international conference in the United States of America where some members supported same sex marriage.
At the time of filing this report, the Taraba State Government has closed all the branches of the church spread across the state.
The aim, according to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Charles Maijankai, is to prevent breakdown of law and order among the members who are at the time of filing this report, struggling to take control of the church property.
It was alleged that there are plans to use security operatives to arrest more members of the church, including pastors