Awka Anglican Diocese Sacks Top Officials, Primate Orders Probe as EFCC Set to Storm
Crisis of biblical proportions has erupted in the Diocese of Awka (Anglican Communion) following allegations of forgery in a controversial land deal, with the signature of the Chancellor, Hon. Justice Sir O.J. Okeke, allegedly falsified.
The scandal has already claimed top diocesan officials, and now the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Most Revd Henry Ndukuba, has stepped in, setting up a high-powered audit panel to investigate.
A confidential memo sighted by our correspondent revealed that the Primate has constituted a panel made up of four eminent judges, a bishop, and a venerable as secretary to probe the “unfortunate developments” rocking the Diocese. The team is currently sitting in Abuja but is expected to move to Awka in the coming days.
“The Primate travelled and will be back this week. I believe the appropriate steps are being taken to redeem the wholesomeness of the Church of Nigeria,” the memo stated.
Justice Okeke, whose name was allegedly forged, has escalated the matter by petitioning the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In a letter dated August 21, 2025, he rejected an invitation to a “Reconciliation Meeting” at Our Saviour’s Church, Awka, calling it a charade.
“Forgery is a criminal offence and cannot be resolved by the so-called ‘Reconciliation Committee,’” Okeke declared.
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He accused the diocesan leadership of shielding culprits while describing the August 18 Emergency Diocesan Board Meeting as a circus, where non-members were smuggled in and he was branded a traitor and accused of suffering from dementia.
“Since I have been accused of writing a petition to the EFCC, it is my view that the EFCC should be allowed to investigate the allegation and determine who forged my signature in the land sale,” he wrote.
The crisis has already consumed the Registrar of the Diocese, who has reportedly been sacked. Sources within the church say the once-united leadership is now deeply fractured, with accusations flying and trust broken.
Okeke’s refusal to participate in what he described as a “charade reconciliation” signals that the matter has moved beyond church corridors into the hands of the anti-graft agency.
Meanwhile, the Diocese, through its Publicist, Dr. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, insists Archbishop Alexander Chibuzo Ibezim, PhD, has been cleared of any wrongdoing. The Diocesan Board dismissed allegations that the Archbishop diverted land-sale proceeds into his private account as “false, baseless, and aimed at tarnishing the good image of the Church and the Archbishop.”
With the Primate’s probe underway, EFCC operatives watching closely, and the Chancellor refusing to back down, insiders warn that the Diocese may be heading into its fiercest storm yet.
What once looked like an internal church misunderstanding has now snowballed into a national scandal—threatening not just reputations but also the credibility of one of the most influential dioceses in the Anglican Communion.
The letter reads,: Dear Rev Canon K. E. N Chukwukamma I have seen your notice inviting me to a purported Diocesan “Reconciliation” meeting scheduled for today Thursday, 21st August, 2025 at Our Saviour’s Church, Awka, time 10:00am. I regret that I cannot subject my humble self to further vituperation after what transpired on Monday, 18th August, 2025 at the so- called Emergency Diocesan Board Meeting held at Mount Zion International Retreat and Resource Centre, Kamali Layout Awka for the following reasons: 1) It is very elementary in both Igbo native law and English law that one cannot be a judge in his own cause. 2) In attendance at the said meeting of Monday 18th August 2025 presided by His Grace and wife were several persons who are not members of the Diocesan Board. 3) His Grace allowed his praise singers to speak several times after himself and his wife poured abuses on my person, that I am a traitor and suffering from dementia. 4) I insisted that I must be heard, His Grace grudgingly allowed me to speak for a few minutes. 5) My contention that my signature was forged in the sale of Diocesan plots of land was not allowed to be commented on. 6)His Grace quickly announced the names of his praise singers and foot soldiers as members of the purported Diocesan “Reconciliation” Committee and inaugurated same. 7) I refused to be part of this CHARADE. 8) We all should know that forgery is a criminal offence and cannot be resolved by the so -called “Reconciliation” Committee. 9) Since I have been accused of writing a petition to the EFCC, it is my view that the EFCC should be allowed to investigate the allegation that I wrote the petition and who forged my signature in the sale of the Diocesan plots of land. THE TRUTH SHALL SET US FREE. Thanks. HON. JUSTICE SIR O.J OKEKE CHANCELLOR DIOCESE OF AWKA (Anglican Communion) 21st August 2025″