Tensions among Methodists in Nigeria have been intensifying since last year’s General Conference saw the United Methodist Church (UMC) change its historic teaching on marriage. It appears that tensions have now escalated into violence.
The most recent round of violence took place on February 17th at Banyam Theological Seminary. Ownership of the seminary along with other church properties is currently under dispute between the Global Methodist Church (GMC) and the United Methodist Church. The issue is now before the Nigerian court system.
According to Bishop Scott Jones, members of the Global Methodist Church in Nigeria were gathered there for a worship service as part of the Central Nigerian Annual Conference when, “a group of individuals supportive of the United Methodist Church disrupted the gathering. In an effort to maintain peace, the conference was relocated. Today, these same individuals, expecting to find our bishops and conference members gathered, returned to Banyam Seminary armed, engaging in destruction of property and physical attacks on members of the Global Methodist Church.” Bishop Jones was in Nigeria and witnessed the attack.
Multiple people sustained injuries, and the Nigerian Army had to come and disband the fighting.
In a separate post Bishop Jones described the attack and the resultant injuries, “The regular session of the Central Nigeria Annual Conference scheduled to be held at Banyam Theological Seminary yesterday and today, February 17 and 18. A group of UMC supporters disrupted the opening worship on Monday. Because we wished to preserve peace we moved the Conference to a different location. However, the UMC supporters returned to Banyam expecting Bishops Jones and Auta to be there with the Conference. Some carried guns and others carried machetes. They invaded the seminary grounds, broke windows and attacked GMC people. The GMC people offered no resistance. One man was hospitalized with a head wound. A presiding elder was cut on his chest and hospitalized. Five others were hospitalized. Mrs. Titi Auta and a friend were locked in a room for several hours.”
The attack is mentioned in a brief paragraph on the United Methodist News Service where they write, “The property dispute between The United Methodist Church in Nigeria and the breakaway Global Methodist Church has escalated with an incident at United Methodist Banyam Theological Seminary. In separate statements, United Methodist Bishop Ande Emmanuel and the Assembly of Bishops of the Global Methodist Church shared conflicting accounts of the incident, which both sides say included violence and vandalism.”
UM News Agency also shared a statement from UMC Nigeria Bishop Ande Emmanual, who referred to the attack as an “altercation.” He accused GMC members of vandalism and changing property signs. He also argued that GMC members should not have been at the seminary. He did acknowledge that members of the UMC were present when the violence occurred but initially made no direct condemnation of the attack. Instead, he wrote, “There are two different stories of what occurred and now it will be a matter for the police.”
Several days later he released a statement condemning violence on all sides while still laying the responsibility on the GMC.
Most of his statement was concerned with reiterating complaints about the property dispute previously mentioned and blaming the GMC Nigeria for an incident of violence that occurred in December. He did state that he was “committed to peace” and called on the GMC to do the same.
The GMC has released multiple statements condemning violence on all sides.
The Global Methodist Church Nigeria also released a statement stating that members of the UMC were responsible for this attack along with several other incidents that have taken place.
The annual conference was able to proceed, and ordinations took place. During his remarks at the conference, Bishop Jones called for peace and told those in attendance to not attempt to repay the violence that had occurred.
There was a violent incident in Munga Dosa, Nigeria in December that resulted in the deaths of three United Methodists and the destruction of several homes. Members of both denominations had homes destroyed in the incident. The UMC was quick to blame the violence on the GMC and subsequently released a statement condemning the attack. GMC leaders issued a statement calling for peace on all sides and condemning the violence that occurred. They also asked people not to jump to conclusions as there were conflicting reports surrounding the reason for the attack.
The Christian Post reported on the complexities of the situation stating that it was possibly part of a “decades long” family dispute and that the tensions between the GMC and UMC may have been only one of the reasons for the attack. Family disputes like the one the Christian Post described are not uncommon in Nigeria and do lead to violence. This makes it difficult to assign motives for outbreaks of violence.
The incidence of violence in Nigeria is heartbreaking. The GMC has responded well condemning the violence, calling both sides to peace and offering support for those affected. Hopefully, in time, more details about both incidents will emerge. While it was good that Bishop Emannuel eventually released an updated condemnation, the UMC should be as adamant in condemning the February attack as they were in condemning the one that took place in December.
