United Methodist Church Zimbabwe's Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa who was arrested last Friday by authorities in Nigeria while on a mission to facilitate the election of a new church leader has been deported.
The incident occurred in Yola, Adamawa State, as part of efforts to replace the outgoing Bishop John Wesley Yohanna, who recently resigned and joined the Global Methodist Church which is anti-LGBTQ.
The United Methodist Church has been factionalised into two groups, one which is said to support same-sex marriages and another which opposes the practice.
According to reports from a Nigerian newspaper company, the Daily Post, Bishop Nhiwatiwa was detained by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) on Friday 23 August, shortly after arriving in Yola for a pivotal meeting with members of the Southern Nigerian Annual Conference.
The bishop, who was there to oversee the transition process, was taken into custody despite possessing all necessary travel documents.
The Herald has it on good authority that following his arrest, Bishop Nhiwatiwa was deported last night aboard an Ethiopian Airways (ET893) around 10pm from Addis Ababa, which was expected to land in Harare around 2am this morning.
According to the boarding pass, "Nhiwatiwa will be seated at seat 23C, class S, economy, zone 2. He will pass through at gate B7 , terminal 2 in Ethiopia."
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Monday offered reasons why a Zimbabwean Bishop, Eben Nhiwatiwa of the United Methodist Church was arrested and detained.
Bishop Nhiwatiwa was reportedly taken into custody in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, for allegedly entering the country with invalid travel documents.
In an online post by Sahara reporters, the Adamawa State Comptroller of Immigration, Ibrahim Mohammed exclusively said that the cleric was caught performing religious duty with a "visit visa", instead of a "religious visa".
Clearing the air on the circumstances surrounding the cleric's arrest and detention on Monday, Comptroller Mohammed said, "The bishop was arrested because he was found doing religious business with a visit visa."
The church leadership fears that this incident may be the beginning of a broader crackdown, with plans reportedly underway to detain additional members and pastors involved in the contentious dispute.
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Meanwhile, in a statement Reverend Alan Gurupira, the administrative assistant to the bishop (Nhiwatiwa) yesterday said efforts were being made for him to return home today.
"I write to give you official word that the bishop is safe in Nigeria. Efforts are being made for his return home tomorrow. The office has been kept abreast with information through Bishop Muyombo who has been very helpful. Our Zimbabwe Ambassador to Nigeria has also been helpful," reads the statement.
