Calabar — SHOCK and tears hall marked high emotions expressed by guests at a highly publicised wedding ceremony, last Saturday, involving a top official of the Apostolic Church in Calabar (names withheld), who slumped during the event as the church embargoed his wedding in the 11th hour.

Minutes before then, thugs led by a lady, identified simply as Nene, who claimed to have had two children, one of them deceased, for the bridegroom, descended on the church destroying posters, decorations and goodwill messages relating to the wedding; vowing, that the marriage could not go on.

Daily Champion learnt that the aggrieved lady had earlier protested to the church authorities on the injustice that would be meted to her, should the church join her man in holy wedlock with his proposed bride, simply called sister Patience.

Consequently, as guests were seated and the marriage proceeding were set to begin, she stormed the church with thugs.

The officiating minister, Pastor N.E. Effiok allegedly hurriedly terminated the proposed wedding with the groom slumping and subsequently rushed to an undisclosed private hospital where he was as at press time.

It was gathered that Sister Patience, whose bridal train was set to join up in church for the wedding, on hearing news of the incident, fled her home.

The furious Nene was said to have last November dedicated her new child together with the affected official at another branch of the church located at Essien Street Calabar-South.

Sources close to her said she was shocked to the marrow on hearing the alleged father of her child had earlier last Thursday performed a traditional marriage ceremony with Sister Patience in a neighbouring state while the church wedding was scheduled for last Saturday at the Idang branch in Calabar.

Daily Champion gathered that she then swore to disrupt the wedding and promptly informed the church authorities about her intention.

But the church may have taken her threat lightly, it was further gathered, until a few hours to the commencement of the wedding on the fateful day when she stormed the church with her thugs.

Following the slumping of the bridegroom, it was gathered, the congregation which was already seated broke lose and people scampered in all directions while close relations to the intending couple wept profusely.

A close source told Daily Champion that Lady Nene had before storming the church, demanded a compensation of N200,000 from her man before she would tolerate the wedding.

But he allegedly pleaded to pay N100,000 in two tranches, half instantly and the other after the wedding, a deal she was said to have initially accepted only to change her mind later.

According to the source, Nene saw the episode as an affront having been faithful and loving enough to give birth to two children for him.

Contacted by Daily Champion, the officiating minister, Pastor Effiok, denied knowledge of the aborted wedding.

He, however, said news on the issue was fabricated except that the church on the day had to implement a policy which may not have gone down well with some people. He did not state the policy being spoken of.

All attempts to speak with the bridegroom and the bride proved abortive.