Awka diocese threatens to quit Church of Nigeria over bishop’s suspension
The Diocese of Awka has rejected the suspension of its bishop, Most Rev. Alexander Ibezim, and threatened to withdraw from the Church of Nigeria. Read More:…
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), one of the country's largest Anglican bodies, operates under a hierarchical structure in which the Primate exercises disciplinary authority over archbishops and bishops across its dioceses. Suspensions of senior clergy are rare and often trigger intense debate within the church over process, fairness, and the independence of individual dioceses from the central hierarchy based in Abuja.
In this case, the Diocese of Awka has pushed back against the Primate's decision to suspend its archbishop, Most Rev. Alexander Ibezim, for six months over allegations that reportedly include the sale of church land valued at N2 billion. The diocese's threat to break away from the Church of Nigeria signals a deepening rift, with the underlying allegations against the archbishop still unresolved and the church's official response to the diocese's pushback yet to be made public.