Catholic Church disagrees with tenants over eviction

•Reclaims property from deceased priest’s family

From Emmanuel Uzor, Awka

The Catholic Diocese of Awka, Anambra State, has disclosed that it has reclaimed possession of a property from the family of a deceased priest, while denying any involvement in the eviction of tenants from the said property.

Addressing journalists in Awka, the Diocesan Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Charles Ndubisi, said the Church, through a court judgment, had taken possession of the property, which he alleged was illegally occupied by the deceased priest’s family and tenants.

“Based on the news regarding the execution of judgment by the court in a property belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Awka, it has become pertinent to address this press conference.

“As a church, we did not participate in the execution of the court order. If we had, maybe, we would have handled things differently. As a church, we value harmonious and peaceful co-existence.

“To demonstrate empathy and love, those evicted who have reached out to us have been directed to approach Equity Law Office, our legal arm, to sign a tenancy agreement with the Diocese, having recognised the rightful owner of the said property. Once again, we urge others who have not done so to comply with the court order,” he said.

He further clarified that the property in question, situated at No. 27 Seaman Avenue/Secretariat Road in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Awka.

Fr. Ndubisi alleged that an intruder from the deceased priest’s family had unlawfully entered the property and rented it out to tenants. He said the Diocese decided to follow court processes to evict the illegal occupants.

“For record purposes, the intruder and unknown tenants occupying the property illegally were served quit notices by the court. There were two suits: the first against Mr. Chidi Osakwe, and the second against unknown persons in the property. We were reliably informed by our legal unit that none of these persons complied with the notices,” he said.