Ex-Abia Commissioner Allegedly Storms Church Vigil with Cutlass, Disrupts Service over Noise

There was mild drama in the early hours of Tuesday in Abia State after a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Charles Ogbonna, allegedly disrupted a church service and chased worshippers with a cutlass over complaints of noise pollution.

The incident reportedly occurred in the Ibeku area of Umuahia, the state capital.

Mr Ogbonna, who served under the administration of former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu between 2015 and 2023, was said to have confronted members of a church who had rented the Umuobasi Town Hall, located close to his residence, for an overnight vigil.

According to residents in the area, the worshippers were holding a prayer session when Mr Ogbonna allegedly stormed the venue in the early hours of Tuesday, accusing them of generating excessive noise that disturbed his household and the neighbourhood.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the former commissioner was visibly angry and allegedly brandished a cutlass while chasing church members out of the hall, causing panic and forcing the service to be abruptly halted.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the situation escalated quickly and could have turned violent if not for the intervention of some community members.

“There was confusion everywhere. People were running for safety because they saw a cutlass. Many were scared that someone could get hurt,” the resident said.

As of the time of filing this report, it was unclear whether anyone sustained injuries during the incident.

Attempts to reach Mr Ogbonna for comments were unsuccessful, as calls to his known phone numbers were not returned.

Meanwhile, residents of the area expressed concern over the growing tension between religious activities and noise control in residential neighbourhoods, calling on authorities to enforce existing environmental and public nuisance laws without resorting to self-help.

Officials of the Abia State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of press time, while it was also not confirmed whether a formal complaint had been lodged by either party.

The incident has since sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some Nigerians condemning the alleged use of violence, while others called for stricter enforcement of noise pollution regulations, particularly during late-night religious activities.