The prolonged case between the Founder of Christ is the Way Church of God, Apostle Augustine Okezue and one Mrs Adaobi Nweke of 21 and 23 Arochukwu, street, Umuahia respectively has been adjourned till August 15th, 2019.
At the Magistrate Court hearing in Umuahia today the 10th July, 2019, it was observed that the second, third and fifth defendants, Mrs. Adaobi Nweke, Ikechukwu Ibe and another person at large were absent.
This ugly development incensed counsel to the first respondent who explained that what they did amounts to lack of respect for the court, pointing out that the absentee defendants lacks the basic attitudes of the trial.
He therefore prayed the court to issue a bench warrant on them because their lackadaisical attitude so far, has been stalling the progress of the court in this regard, maintaining that until the court becomes decisive in its dealings with such ineptitude the defaulters will not learn their lessons.
Ruling on the matter, the presiding Magistrate immediately issued a bench warrant on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th defendants, while the matter was adjourned.
Speaking in an interview, the first respondent and the founder of Christ is the Way Church of God, Apostle Augustine Okezue explained that the matter first began on December 30th 2014, when their neighbor, one Adaobi Nweke of 23 Arochukwu street Umuahia send some thugs to attack him, his wife and some members of his church over a sanitary lane that connects his Church and that of Nweke’s house.
Also contributing further, the wife of the Apostle, Pastor Mrs. Adanma Okezue hinted that their Church was established in 1970, but moved to 21 Arochukwu street in 1978, adding that ever since they relocated to the present location, they have engaged in one form of issue or the other due to Adaobi Nweke’s character as a drug addict who sale’s Indian hemp and engages in evil vices at the neighborhood.
Pastor Mrs. Okezue stated that they had invited the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency [ASEPA] as well as the Ministry of Environment to come and see things for themselves, and they came and directed that the sanitary lane should be opened for easy access to water and other things.
She further stated that on December 19th, 2018 their steward called them from the church to inform them that Adaobi Nweke had hired group of thugs who entered the church and start throwing out the properties, lamenting that upon their arrival at the scene and tried to know what was going on, some of the thugs descended on them and started flogging them with a cable wire and that such was their reason to approach the court for the second time.
The couples all hinted that ever since the case has been in court, the defendants have never appeared, as they have earlier boasted that they will win the case by every means possible.
They prayed to God to see them through at this trial times and for the church to move on despite the challenges.
