BY : DARI KWABENA MATHEW (+233555395925)
Atiwa East District Security Council (DISEC) has shut down the headquarters African Faith Tabernacle church in Akyem Anyinam over security concerns.
Two factions in the church (National trustees, and family of the late Leader Superior Prophet David Nkansah), are litigating the selection of the next leader of the church a year after his death.
Both factions had planned to hold annual delegates conference from January 13th to 15th, 2023 at the Headquarters of the Church.
Sensing danger of possible bloody clashes, DISEC ordered for the cancelation of the conference and the locking of the temple and mission house at headquarters.
National trustees and other leaders of the church across the country numbering who arrived for the conference could not get access to the headquarters.
Therefore went to the house of Chief Pastor Stephen Frimpong Nkansah who was the linguist to the late Prophet David Nkansah and appointed by the national trustees and large majority members of the church members as the next leader, to hold the conference and annual first quarter meeting.
Addressing the media at the sidelines of the meeting Saturday, the National Public Relations Officer of African Faith Tabernacle Church, Chief Pastor Joseph Kwasi Rockson accused the police and district Chief Executive for Atewa East Kwabena Panin Nkansah of bias in the matter alleging the DCE is a member of the litigating family.
“We want the IGP, Minister of Interior to be made aware of the situation in the church to intervene because we can’t continue to tolerate what is happening .when you say in the interest of peace it means both factions must comply so why do we have family members of the Late Leader still at the headquarters.
Chief Pastor Joseph Kwasi Rockson continued that, “the church does not belong to the family. It is an independent religious organization. So why should family take over the church? Why should we the national trustees and elders be blocked from the Temple and mission house? The DCE who is DISEC chairman is a member of the litigating family so they have decided to take over the church and collapse it. We are law abiding citizens reason we have not invaded the headquarters, not that we are afraid. Exactly a year after the death of our leader, these family members have hijacked and closed the headquarters and temple preventing church activities there” He lamented.
The National youth President of the Church Chief Pastor Ebenezer Nkansah Twum Barimah said the leadership of the church has chosen a leader in the person of Chief Pastor Stephen Frimpong which must be respected adding that the family has no right to choose a leader for the church.
However, the Anyinam District Police Commander DSP Raymond Mahama Iddrisu refuted the allegation of bias against the police and DISEC stating that the decision taken was in the interest of peace in the area since they have pending cases at the court.
“Anytime they meet there is clashes between them so we decided that to avoid any security breach or the breach of the peace we should have them resolve their issues before we can give them go ahead so I tried as a district commander to stop them. They were not listening so I sent them to the Regional commander. The issues were still not clear”.
DSP Raymond Mahama continued that “so we activated DISEC on Friday, both parties and DISEC came out with decision that for security reasons looking on the grounds the peace will be breached and for that matter they should all stop all that they want to do and resolve their issues before they can be allowed. So we said we will not allow any party to hold any meeting”
The leader of the African Faith Tabernacle Church Superior Prophet David Kwaku Nkansah died at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on Wednesday, 16th February 2022.
After his demise, the family claims that the late Prophet David Nkansah II nominated his 17-year-old cousin to be ordained as the next leader of the Church when he dies.
However, the Elders, Trustees, and Executives say it is false arguing that, the boy is too young to lead the Church which has branches nationwide, and that, they have chosen Chief Pastor Stephen Frimpong Nkansah who was the linguist to the late Prophet David Nkansah to be the next leader.
The Elders, Trustees, and Executives subsequently issued a statement on April 13, 2022, that, “In the wake, of the demise of the late Superior Prophet David Nkansah II, the National Trustees, National Officers and the Regional Representatives of African Faith Tabernacle Church are pleased to announce the appointment of Chief Pastor Stephen Frimpong Nkansah as the acting leader of the Church, with effect from 7th April 2022”.
The statement described Chief Pastor Stephen Frimpong Nkansah as a competent leader Who has broad and quite unique experience from both church leadership and doctrines.
African Faith Tabernacle Church is a renowned Ghanaian indigenous spiritual church founded in the year 1919 by the late prophet Kwame Nkansah.
The headquarters of the Church is located in Anyinam in the Eastern Region. The church has over 1000 branches in Ghana, some West African countries, and Europe.
