ZIM BISHOP, DETAINED AND DEPORTED FROM NIGERIA

Zimbabwean Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa was on Friday detained by authorities in Nigeria while on a mission to facilitate the election of a new church leader.

The bishop was caught up in intense fighting within the Methodist Church as efforts are being made to replace the outgoing Bishop John Wesley Yohanna, who recently resigned and joined the Global Methodist Church which is anti LGBTQ.

After several hours of detention at the Yola Immigration office, he was confined to his hotel under immigration guard before being transferred to Abuja on August 24, 2024, where he was held at the Immigration Headquarters.

However, clearing the air on the circumstances surrounding the cleric's arrest and detention on Monday, the Immigration  Comptroller Mohammed said, "The bishop was arrested because he was found doing religious business with a visit visa."

Mohammed further disclosed that the Methodist bishop was in the country to superintend an election of a new bishop, for a faction of the church that supports gay practice.

"We arrested him following an information that he was presiding over a church meeting with the aim of electing a new bishop. And it is prohibited to perform any religious duty with a visit visa. He required a religious visa to function as such.

"Again, we gathered he was in the country to supervise the election of a new bishop for a faction of the church which believes in same sex marriage.

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