Lagos — Tribalism is tearing the Benin diocese of the Anglican apart. The question on everybody's lips is: will God let the devil get away with it?

Reverend Gabriel Umukoro was genuinely worried when he was posted to St. Mathew's Cathedral, Benin City in the new year. In 1995, he was attacked and beaten up in the church by persons he identified as hired thugs. Grudgingly, Umukoro resumed at the new station on Sunday, January 21. Instead of a warm welcome by the church members, his worst fears were confirmed. Before the Sunday service started, he was attacked and a substance suspected to be acid but was not, was thrown in his right eye.

Umukoro has been discharged from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital where he was rushed to after the incident. But the incident was the talk of the town by many people who are worried that the house of God had become satan's battlefield. Umukoro's attack was linked with the six-year-old crisis in the Benin diocese of the Anglican Church where the choice of a bishop had torn the church into pieces between the native Binis and the non-indigenes.

Umukoro's attack was not his only misfortune. He is one of the five priests now being suspended from the Benin diocese by Peter J. Akinola, the primate of the Anglican Church in Nigeria.

The lingering crisis has now assumed a fresh and frightening dimension.

In the past two weeks, only the very courageous have dared to worship in the tension-stricken churches of the diocese, especially those in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

The tense atmosphere resulted from a hurried posting of 11 senior priests of the diocese to new stations. The letter of posting dated January 8, 2001 said the re-deployment took immediate effect and required the priests to be in their new stations January 15, 2001. Signed by S. O. Ajani, administrative secretary to Akinola, the letter said the primate ordered the swapping of positions of the priests "further to efforts being made for unity and peace in the church of God in Benin diocese.…"

But the posting became highly controversial. Six of the priests were believed by their supporters to have been favoured by the postings, while the posting of five others was considered punitive because they were said to have been moved from more viable churches in Benin City to less significant or prosperous ones in other towns and villages of Edo State.

The vibrant churches were also said to be dominated by non-Bini tribes of Igbo, Urhobo, Isoko and Itsekiri. The five priests were H. O. Adams who was moved from Saint John's Church Benin City to Emmanuel Church, Iguobazuwa; M. O. Elumeria who was moved from Saint Jame's Church, Benin City to Saint Peter's Church, Abudu; and O. O. Okoh moved from Saint Paul's Church Benin-City to Saint Matthew's Church, Eko- Abetu. Also was Umukoro who was transferred from Our Saviour's Chapel, in the GRA, Benin City to Saint Matthew's Cathedral.

Saint Matthew's Cathedral is large and is located in the city centre, but Umukoro's problem has been that it is a Bini stronghold. Some complained that the non-indigenous priests were taken out of their stations so that they will not give any opposition to the first Bini- speaking bishop of the diocese expected to be appointed this month. The Bini people are asking for the appointment of their son as the next bishop of the diocese to succeed P. Onekpe, who they rejected as bishop of the diocese. Although Onekpe hails from Edo State, the people complained that he is Etsako-speaking and not Bini.

In 1999 they enthroned Michael E. Igbinosa as bishop of Benin diocese. But the "bishop" was not recognised by the church authority. He later apologised to the church authorities and asked for forgiveness and quit the position.

The transfers were also said to have been done to weaken the campaign by the non-indigenes for a Benin-West diocese.

The transfers were greeted with resistance. The priests, backed by their supporters refused to move to the village churches while the Bini-backed priests who were sent to take over from the priests in the larger churches were rejected by the people.

When Umukoro went to conduct the first service at Saint Matthew's Cathedral on January 21, a middle-aged man ran after him as he entered the church premises and emptied a tin of liquid on his face. The man took to his heels while Umukoro stood there crying for help.

Some members of the church ran to his rescue. His soiled cassock was removed and he was taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTC, where a doctor examined him and said the substance was not acid. Umukoro was still recovering from the effect of the substance when Newswatch met him in Benin city last week.He told Newswatch that he was not given any treatment at UBTH but was advised to rush home and wash with warm water. He later went to the Central Hospital, Sapele Road, Benin City where his eyes were examined and he was told that the substance poured on him was a wood-finish product.

As Umukoro was rushed to hospital, the box he was carrying to church that day was taken and kept in the vestry. When Umukoro later went there to collect it, a church warden told him that he received instructions that the box and the cassock should not be released to him. It took the intervention of the police for him to recover the box. The police who are now in custody of the cassock are still investigating the matter.

But Isaac Aluyi, chancellor of the diocese and head of the laity denied that the man who bathed Umukoro with the substance was a worshipper at Saint Matthew's . He told Newswatch that Umukoro could have planned with the man to pour the substance on him so as to give the impression that the members did it to show that they did not want him. Aluyi, a retired high court judge, said after the incident he asked the standing committee to investigate the matter. He said a woman who claimed she witnessed the incident told the committee that Umukoro had hired a motor-cycle to bring him to church. He said after the 'okada' man left, Umukoro walked into the cathedral and waited near the entrance until the man ran and poured the substance on him.

Aluyi said he believed that Umukoro was waiting for the man. He also wondered why Umukoro hired a motor bike to take him to the cathedral when he had an official Mercedez Benz car. Aluyi said he believed the incident was stage-managed by Umukoro and S.S. Agbede, F.O. Ezegaegbe and I.O. Umukoro, said to be leaders of the non-Bini laity council of the church.

Umukoro told Newswatch that he took a motorcycle to church because he had asked that his wife be driven in the car to Our Saviour's Chapel, in the GRA, his former station. He denied arranging with any man to pour the substance on him. On Sunday, January 21, J.I. Owede who was posted to Our Saviour's Chapel, Umukoro's former station, was not allowed to conduct the service. He arrived the church premises at about 8 a.m. to keep the morning service. He was first warned by a security man at the gate that the members said he should not come around. But Owede ignored the man and drove in. As he parked his car, some members of the church surrounded him and told him, "Sir you are not needed here. This church does not want you."

He was advised to go back. As he was being told to go back, Samuel O. Ukponmwan, a medical doctor and an influential Bini-speaking member of the laity drove in and led him (Owede) in to the church. As Owede stepped inside the church, some members moved out in protest. Owede sat down. After a while, as if to test his popularity, the priest got up to address the people. At that point, the group that went out rushed back into the church hall wildly singing choruses and dancing to disrupt the service. The service eventually dispersed following the confusion.

Owede told Newswatch that he went into the church to discharge his normal duties and in obedience to the directive of the primate. "I could not go back since I was sent by the primate," he said.

But Elumeria, who was transferred to Abudu was still fully in charge at Saint James' Church in Benin City. He has been keeping the two Sunday worship services (7.30 and 10.00) in the church in spite of the posting. On Sunday, January 28, E.N. Efeakulu, who was posted from Nifor to take over from him arrived the church premises with a police escort. But he only sat down quietly watching Elumeria conduct the services. He left the service in company of the police without addressing the people.

C. I. Umane who was transferred from Our Saviour's Church in Ihinmwinrin was also not allowed to enter the premises of Payne Memorial Church in the city. It was the same with G.A Okoh who was posted from Abudu to Saint John's. The confusion was everywhere.

Strangely enough, the members, especially the priests, are also living in fear. Umukoro's house was under lock and key. His security man locked the gate and held the key, opening it each time a visitor knocked. All visitors he did not know well had to brief him of their mission before he opened the gate.

At Saint James', the gate to Elumeria's residence was also locked. Entry into Elumeria's quarters was restricted to fellow priests and church officials. One of the church officials explained that the gates were locked to prevent people from going into the quarters to foment trouble.

Elumeria refused to speak with Newswatch on why he would not leave the church for Efealuku. But one of his members told Newswatch that Efealuku was not rejected because of tribal sentiments but because he was not holy enough to be their pastor. He said he was once accused of committing some immoral acts and was not known to have been disciplined and forgiven by the church.

For refusing to obey the transfer order, Omakoko, Umukoro, Okoh, Adams and Elumeria were suspended last week. A letter dated January 26 and signed by Ajani said the five priests were suspended for "blatant refusal to obey the redeployment order of January 8, 2001." "I am to let you know that these are acts of gross canonical disobedience for which you are hereby suspended indefinitely," the letter said.

The letter, which said the priests would be informed when the Episcopal synod would meet to constitute a court, asked them to hand over church property in their possession to wardens of the church in the presence of the chancellor.

Aluyi told Newswatch that before the suspension order, Akinola invited those affected by the transfer to a meeting in Abuja on Friday, January 26. He said Akinola asked him to arrange a vehicle for the trip. He said he arranged for the vehicle which took off from Saint Matthew's Cathedral, by six a.m. of that day. Owede, Obed Anyanwu, Umane, G. A. Okoh, A.A. Edionwe and Elealuku made the trip but Adams, Umukoro, Omakoko, Okoh and Elumeria did not. Their suspension letters were written on that day.

Aluyi said the suspended priests would be given up to this week to surrender church property in their care, failing which the primate may wish to invite the police into the matter. The priests protested the suspension. Umukoro said even though he did not like being posted to Saint Matthew's where he said he was beaten up by worshippers during another crisis in the diocese in 1995, he reported for duty even before January 20 when he was bathed with the substance.

But like his colleagues, Umukoro said one week was too short a time for them to prepare themselves and report at the new stations. He argued that they should have been given a little more time to enable them inform their members about the postings. "We did not even have time to announce to our members, yet people started saying we were disobedient," he told Newswatch.

He also explained that in his own case it was not possible for him to have travelled to Abuja for the meeting on January 26, a day after he removed the bandage from his eye after the January 20 incident. Umukoro said he had also sent a letter to the primate January 24, asking for sick leave.

Adams also told Newswatch that he obeyed the directive and reported at Emmanuel Church, Iguobazuwa but was rejected by the people. The members, he said complained that being a small village church, they would not be able to take care of him. Adams' new church was said to have 37 adult worshipers comprising 25 women and 12 men.

The priests accused Aluyi of misdirecting the primate into taking decisions that were not favourable to the diocese. They argued that it was not likely that Akinola would have issued the letter of redeployment on January 8 only three days after he told them in Benin that transfer for the priests was imminent.

"We are told that the letters were authored by the chancellor and given to Umane to take to Akinola to sign," one of the pastors said. Akinola also banned the non-Bini laity council of the diocese. A letter to this effect dated January 26 and addressed to J.S. Agbede, F.O. Ezegaegbe and T.O. Umukoro accused the group of thwarting efforts that were being made to restore peace in the diocese.

Ajani signed the letter which noted that the constitution of the church did not recognise the existence or formation of any laity council. "Consequently, the council is hereby disbanded and proscribed forthwith," he said. The letter went on: "Any member who chooses to remain with us under God and wants to pursue the cause of peace in Benin diocese is heartily welcome. Any member found to be fomenting trouble or circulating rumours calculated to cause further disaffection stands the risk of outright excommunication from now on."

The disbanding of the non-Bini laity council, also known as Non- Indigene Laity Council did not go down well with members of the council and supporters of the non-Bini priests. Teekee Debekeme, a member of the standing committee of the Anglican Church Nigeria said the Non-Bini Laity Council was constitutional and had every right to express its interest in the issues affecting the priests and the church.

"We did not like the transfer made by the primate. He sent all the prominent priests to the village," he said. He argued that in Benin diocese the most prominent churches were Saint James' Rev. Payne, Saint John's and Saint Paul's which are dominated by non-indigenes.

Debekeme said the suspended priests were men of high standing who had hope of becoming bishops noting that, "it was unfair to use a one- sided transfer to displace the church with people of status."

Harrison A. Owede, a lay reader in Saint James expressed fear that the transfers and suspension were impeding reconciliation between the Bini and the non-Bini priests and laity.

Aluyi is strongly backed by influential Bini-speaking members of the laity. They include Isaac E. Edokpolo, member of the Synod, diocesan board and standing committee who said he was saddened by the action of the priests which he said gave cause for one to doubt the sincerity of their calling. Edokpolo who said he was looking forward to February when the Episcopal Synod would elect a new bishop told Newswatch: "We are all happy with this development and the actions being taken by the primate like the deployment of the priests."

He said that many senior priests of the church were based in Benin City to the neglect of the other urban and rural areas. The transfers, he said, "would make for proper evangelisation of the rural people."

Ukponmwan commended the primate for the transfers. He said that the new priests in Benin city will now be able to remit monthly assessment fees to the diocese. Newswatch learnt that since 1995, when the bishop crisis began, some 65 non-Bini churches in the diocese have not been remitting money to the diocese which is said to be owing the national church up to N3 million in assessment.

It is widely believed that if the Anglican church in Nigeria will make a Bini man bishop of the diocese, it will be Igbinosa. He is the only Bini-speaking indigene who is qualified for the post. But he is not an acceptable candidate to other tribes.

The people of the diocese are waiting for a new bishop and the restoration of peace in the diocese.