Zimbabwean United Methodist Bishop Detained in Yola, Nigeria

Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa, a leader in the United Methodist Church from Zimbabwe, was arrested in Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria, on August 23, 2024. He had traveled to Nigeria to oversee the election of a new Nigerian bishop following the resignation of Bishop John Wesley Yohanna. He arrived in Yola that day for the first meeting of the Southern Nigerian Annual Conference, and the arrest took place during a meeting with church members.

The reports differ on which agency made the arrest. One report says police in Nigeria made the arrest, while another says the Nigeria Immigration Service did. Both agree that Nhiwatiwa was detained by immigration authorities. One report says he was held for several hours at the Yola Immigration office and then confined to his hotel with guards. The other says he was detained by the NIS Adamawa State Command.

Both reports say he was transported to Abuja on August 24, 2024, where he was held at the Immigration Headquarters, or at the NIS headquarters in Abuja. One report says he remained in custody as of August 25, 2024, according to the Daily Post as cited by the second report. No specific charges have been publicly disclosed in the reports.

Pastor Salisu Waziri, speaking for the church, condemned the arrest and called for Nhiwatiwa’s immediate release. The second report says the statement was signed by Waziri on behalf of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria. The same report alleges that plans were reported to use security operatives to arrest additional church members, including pastors. These reports are allegations and have not been independently confirmed in the sources provided.

Also as of August 25, according to Special Adviser Charles Maijankai, the Taraba State Government closed all church branches in the state. One report says the closure was intended to prevent potential disruptions to public order. Maijankai is named in both reports as the source of this information. Where accounts of the same events differ, as they do here on the arresting agency and on the details of Nhiwatiwa’s detention, hearing each account carefully and attributing it to its source is a matter of fairness (Proverbs 18:17).