Three people have been confirmed dead following a violent clash that erupted between worshippers of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria (UMCN) and the Global Methodist Church (GMC) in Taraba State.
The crisis, as gathered by The Guardian, erupted on Sunday in the Karim-Lamido Local Government Area (LGA) after one faction reportedly unsealed a church building for service. This prompted the opposing faction to do the same, our correspondent learned, leading to tensions which resulted in the fatal confrontation.
Confirming the report, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Usman, said, “It has been confirmed that there was a crisis in Karim-Lamido local government council, which led to the killing of three people.”
He added that six suspects have been arrested in connection with the violence and that security measures have been deployed to prevent further clashes.
The conflict stems from a protracted leadership dispute between the UMCN and the GMC, which recently emerged as a breakaway faction.
The state government had previously sealed off all the church properties spread across the nooks and crannies of the state due to the escalating tensions.
Sunday’s clash, which at the time of filing this report had continued to ignite dust among the worshippers, has again reignited the hostilities.
Some worshippers who spoke with The Guardian expressed frustration with the government’s inability to resolve the ongoing dispute, which they say is undermining peace and security in the state.
