Man Who Razed Ezeugo’s Church Building Dies Same Week

Sunny Ugwuegbu, a native of Avu Community in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, who was responsible for setting ablaze the auditorium of the Bible Missionary Church (BMC) in the community, reportedly passed away in the same week he committed the arson, following prayers offered by the church.

Pastor Alexander Ezeugo Ekewuba, also a native of Avu Community, was serving as the pastor of the church at the time of the incident.

This revelation is among the contents of “Overcomers Christian Mission At 40,” a book launched in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Overcomers Christian Mission (OCM), which the cleric later established after parting ways with the BMC.

The destruction of the church building was one of the numerous challenges faced by Ezeugo in his spiritual journey.

Other challenges included conflicts with the founder of BMC, Rev. A. A. Alalibo, over the doctrines of BMC, which led to Ezeugo’s departure from the church and his detention at the 34 Field Artillery Brigade Obinze barracks due to a false allegation of raising a unit of the Biafra Marine Commando (BMC).

The book further reveals that Ezeugo was summoned by the BMC General Overseer, Rev. Alalibo, to the church headquarters in Port Harcourt to explain his failure to strictly adhere to the church’s guidelines.

“The guidelines consisted of a set of doctrines which every pastor was required to observe within their local assembly. These included the teaching of Rev. Alalibo’s 52 Bible lessons to new converts prior to immersion baptism,” the book reported.

The doctrines included prohibitions on prophecies, speaking in tongues, crusades, or evangelism by any pastor without obtaining permission from the General Overseer. Men were required to wear ‘turn up’ trousers with long-sleeve shirts at all times, and women were mandated to wear headscarves even when at home.

Ezeugo’s refusal to strictly comply with these doctrines led to his departure from the BMC.

Upon leaving BMC, Ezeugo founded the Redeeming Time Pilgrims Mission (RTPM). However, challenges continued to persist.

The first issue Ezeugo encountered with RTPM was his choice to find a wife, Francisca, outside his congregation, rather than selecting a spouse from the numerous sisters at RTPM.

The RTPM was also displeased with the serving of palm wine during his wedding by his Avu kinsmen. “In fact, the church imposed a suspension on him and his wife immediately after their wedding. Thus, Ezeugo and his wife spent their honeymoon under suspension imposed by RTPM. This occurred in 1978,” the book disclosed.

However, Ezeugo had yet to face further challenges. RTPM had organized a crusade in Umuokpo, Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State. The harvest of souls was substantial, leading Ezeugo to remain to nurture the new converts while entrusting Pastor Polycarp Ekeocha with the leadership of RTPM headquarters in Owerri.

Upon completing the nurturing of the brethren in Umuokpo and returning to Owerri to resume his position, Ezeugo discovered that elders and members had shifted their allegiance to Pastor Polycarp Ekeocha.

According to the book, Ezeugo departed RTPM with his wife and founded OCM.

The aforementioned challenges could be considered minor compared to the ordeal Ezeugo faced during the Otokoto riots in Owerri in 1996. Demonstrators not only set fire to the worship center of OCM but also destroyed Ezeugo’s operational office and official residence.

Ezeugo had to appear at Commission of Inquiry set up by the Imo State and later in court. Fortunately, he was cleared by the commission and court.