Crisis has erupted over the management and control of the Assemblies of God Church Nigeria property in Nanka Street, New Haven, Enugu State.

Two Pastors of the church, Rev. Okechukwu Obioha and Rev. Isaac Nnaji, are currently at daggers drawn over who controls the vast landed property.

Nnaji, it was gathered, was recently transferred to the District headquarters of the church in New Haven where the property is situated and insists on taking over the management.

Okechukwu, however, has been managing the property since 2021, following a power of attorney issued to him by the Incorporated Trustees of the Assemblies of God Nigeria.

The power of attorney issued in August 2021, and signed by the former General Superintendent of the Church, Rev. Ejikeme Ejim; former General Secretary, Godwin Amaowoh and former General Treasurer, Rev. Vincent Alaje, enabled him to “take possession of the said property and to administer, manage and superintend it” on behalf of the church.

Okechukwu was also empowered to “sublet or assign, execute all instruments, demand, collect and receive payments by way of rents, fees or dues and to sign and give notices to tenants and occupiers of the said property to quit or to repair, among others, in the said property.

Trouble, however, started when Okechukwu visited the property on October 30, 2025, to demand rent from one of the tenants. Rather than collect the said rent, some persons, allegedly led by the District Superintendent, Rev. Nnaji, accosted him and threatened to deal with him should he step into the property again.

In a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Enugu, titled “Threat to life and malicious damages”, Okechukwu had alleged that when he attempted to question the confrontational manner of his attackers, “they enveloped me for the purposes of assaulting me before passers-by and other innocent persons around immediately intervened to rescue me from the dreaded force”.

He stated that the commotion created by the unprovoked action of Nnaji and his group caused grid lock based “on the emergence of people who had come to rescue me from their brutal attack before they were forced to leave the scene with a threat that if they ever see me again in the property, it will only be my dead body that will be seen again”.

Okechukwu said that the action of Nnaji and his group had not only caused grave psychological trauma on him, “but also the impunity upon which they had threatened my life leaves much to be swallowed”.

He therefore asked the commissioner of police to intervene in the matter to avoid further hostilities.

Contacted on the development on Tuesday, Nnaji declined to comment on the matter.

“The case is before the police. I will not talk about it now”, he stated. (The Guardian, but headline rejigged)