By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The expansive and imposing Catholic Cathedral of the Christ the Kings Church CKC Aba, the commercial hub of Abia state was on Thursday April4, 2024 desecrated, triggering a pandemonium.
This followed the invasion of the Worship Centre, by hordes of armed men suspected to be operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA.
Eyewitness accounts revealed the suspected NDLEA officials numbering over ten ,stormed the premises of the Catholic Cathedral located in the heart of the City, allegedly manhandling everybody in sight, including some worshipers who were said to be observing their Midday prayers.
Several people, both within the premises of the Church and adjourning business environs, were said to have scampered for safety ,as the suspected NDLEA operatives fired indiscriminate gun shots to the air.
The action of the NDLEA officials ,as would be expected, have provoked wide indignation among both Catholic faithful and residents of Aba and the entire Abia state
At the end of the siege believed to have lasted for over an hour ,several people ,including church workers and the Cathedral’s security guards were allegedly whisked away by the NDLEA operatives.
A witness further revealed that the invasion of the Catholic Cathedral was preceded by a serious altercation and shouting match on Wednesday, April 3 between the Church’s security guards and some people also suspected to be operatives of NDLEA.
A suspect on whose trail the NDLEA officials were was said to have ran into the CKC premises and attempts to effect his arrest were believed to have been resisted by the Church’s guards.
It was gathered that the guards had insisted that the consent of the Church authorities be sort and obtained before taking away the suspect.
But despite taking away the said suspect ,the Drug Law enforcement agents returned to the Church on Thursday, a development that led to the creation of a very unpalatable scene.
Several attempts made to reach out to the authorities of the Abia State Command of the NDLEA were unsuccessful as at the time of reporting.
Several calls put across to the spokesperson Mr Iyke Akunna were not responded to.
But a source ,who craved anonymity said ,Thursday’s invasion of the Cathedral may not be unconnected with the thinking within the top echelons of the Agency which tends to perceive such sacred and vulnerable spots as safe haven for drug lords and other criminal elements .
” I believe that the initial attempt by the Church’s Security guards to prevent the NDLEA officials from arresting the fleeing suspect who ran into the Cathedral must have led to the Agency’s decision to re visit “our source stated .
