Reverend Victor Uloh, a cleric with the Methodist Church Nigeria in the Atamunu Diocese, Cross River State, has alleged that his supervising bishop, Rt. Rev. Barr. Otuekong A. Ukut, physically assaulted him during a church synod, forcefully removed his priestly cross, and unlawfully terminated his appointment.
Uloh, who also doubles as a 300-level medical student at the University of Calabar, made the allegations in a detailed letter addressed to the Archbishop of Calabar.
The alleged assault took place between April 18 and 21, 2025, during the Diocesan Synod held at Wesley Cathedral, Calabar, according to SaharaReporters.
Narrating the ordeal, Reverend Uloh wrote: “I am a Priest in the Methodist Church Nigeria. My Bishop forced me to kneel down with my ministerial vestment, threatened to strike me with his crucier, and cut off my cross pendant on my neck, a symbol of my ordination and ministerial dignity which only the Prelate of the Church can do.”
According to him, the bishop approached in a rage, accused him of violating an undisclosed church instruction, and refused to listen to his explanations.
When Uloh knelt in reverence, as expected in church tradition, the bishop reportedly insulted him repeatedly, shouting words like “idiot,” “goat,” and “mad man.”
The young clergyman further alleged that Bishop Ukut yanked off his priestly cross in the presence of other church leaders and members, leaving him in emotional and physical shock.
“The cross chain was torn and broken into pieces. I felt traumatised and stripped of my calling in the presence of my spiritual family,” he said.
A medical report issued by the University of Calabar Medical Centre after the reported assault confirmed Uloh presented with pain in the neck and multiple superficial abrasions.
The report also stated he was receiving therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) triggered by the encounter.
“He said the pains started five days ago on the 25th of April, 2025, when he was physically attacked by another man (his bishop), while he was on his knees before the man in question,” the report read.
“In the process of resisting this action, the assailant, who was unrelenting in his assault, eventually broke the chain into multiple pieces from the patient’s neck.”
In addition to the physical and psychological abuse, Uloh accused the bishop of denying him official accommodation, withdrawing his financial allowances meant to support his education, and summarily removing him from his station without consultation or disciplinary hearing.
Uloh has appealed to the hierarchy of the Methodist Church Nigeria to take urgent steps to investigate the matter, restore his dignity, and provide support so he can continue both his theological duties and medical education.
