The Ancient and Noble Order of Knights of St. John International, Assumption Commandery 511 in Nnewi, Anambra State, has formally expelled one of its members, Sir James Louis Okoye, popularly known as “Ebube Anaedo” (Pride of Nnewi), for publicly denouncing the Holy Roman Catholic Church and embracing apostasy during the controversial commissioning of Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral on January 14, 2026.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TheNigerialawyer-WhatsApp-Channel1.jpg")
In a letter dated January 21, 2026, and signed by the Worthy President of the Commandery, Noble Cyprian Egbosi, the Order notified Okoye that he had been stripped of all rights, privileges, and membership in the Knights of St. John International (KSJI) following an investigation into the dramatic incident at the cathedral.
The expulsion followed anger, condemnation and threats of leaving the Catholic Church that trailed the commissioning of Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral, Nnewi, allegedly single-handedly built from foundation to roofing level by late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who was not recognized from the beginning to the end of the commissioning.
Confusion erupted within the premises of the Cathedral in Nnewi, Anambra State, when people listened throughout the event but failed to hear the mention of the late Senator Ubah’s contribution towards the commissioned Cathedral.
The construction of the Cathedral was largely through the financial sponsorship of the late Senator Ubah, who at the beginning had asked that everything about it be left for him during the reign of the former Bishop of Nnewi Catholic Diocese, Bishop Hilary Odili Okeke.
Late Senator Ubah had continued the building of the Cathedral from foundation to the roofing level and had started roofing part of the Cathedral when a new Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Nnewi was appointed to replace retired Bishop Hilary Odili Okeke, who had a good relationship with late Ubah.
The appointment of the new Bishop of Nnewi, Most Rev. Jonas Benson Okoye, and the abrupt stoppage of late Senator Ubah from the continuation of building of the Cathedral did not bring any suspicion against the church authority until the Wednesday commissioning when the late Senator was said not to have been mentioned in any program or speech during the ceremony, neither was his family invited to the event.
The alleged shabby treatment of Senator Ubah and his family was raised by his political associate and supporter, Chief Victor Chigozie Eneh, who openly questioned the actions of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi and its Bishop in what he called “wicked and deliberate exclusion of a man who single-handedly started and nearly completed the building of the Cathedral in Nnewi.”
According to the visibly angry Eneh, “Senator Ubah had funded and overseen as much as 85 percent of the Cathedral’s construction, before the current Bishop of Nnewi was transferred to the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, adding that upon his assuming of office, the Bishop halted Ubah’s continued involvement in the project despite its advanced level of completion.”
“Initially when Senator Ubah’s involvement in the project was halted, while he was still alive, some of us did not suspect any foul play or know there was any ulterior motive, until this deliberate and wicked refusal to mention his name in any level of the commissioning of the Cathedral,” Eneh stated.
“It is disheartening and condemnable that members of Senator Ubah’s family were neither invited to the Cathedral’s commissioning nor late Senator Ubah’s name publicly acknowledged during the ceremony.”
The Cathedral premises was thrown into confusion shortly after Chief Eneh spoke to newsmen when Sir James Louis Okoye, a Knight in the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, angrily walked out of the commissioning ceremony, shouting against the alleged maltreatment of late Senator Ubah by the church by not mentioning his contribution towards the building of the Cathedral.
The angry Knight, while still within the premises of the Cathedral, renounced his membership of the Catholic Church and Christianity, saying that if late Senator Ubah who contributed so much to the building of the Cathedral could be so shabbily treated with the church’s intentional failure to acknowledge his effort, what would be the fate of ordinary worshippers like him.
Sir Okoye, who spoke in anger but to the admiration of worshippers in the Cathedral while being recorded by both journalists and anybody with a phone interested in his angry reaction, confirmed that the late Senator volunteered to single-handedly build the Cathedral and did not fail until he was stopped for yet-to-be-known reasons when the project had reached the roofing level and he had even roofed some part of it.
According to Sir Okoye: “This Cathedral was first started by the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who volunteered to build the Cathedral for the church, and had worked on the project to about 85 percent completion, before a new Bishop, Dr Jonas-Benson Okoye, was posted to Nnewi in 2022, when he ordered Ubah to hands off the Cathedral.”
“Some of us didn’t know the reason for that order for late Senator to hands off the project he started during the time of amiable, good and friendly former Catholic Bishop of Nnewi, Most Rev. Hilary Odili Okeke, until this wicked exclusion of his name from the entire program of the Cathedral commissioning. This is wicked and must be condemned by anybody who is a true Christian.”
The angry Catholic Knight was heard while walking out from the premises of the Cathedral shouting: “Ifeanyi Ubah sorry, Ifeanyi Ubah sorry, this is unfair, is this the way the spirit of Ifeanyi Ubah will rest in peace? This is wicked, I have never seen this kind of wickedness in my life, not even in the brochure or orally was Senator Ifeanyi Ubah acknowledged as a contributor to the Cathedral he started and almost completed before he was ordered to hands off.”
Reacting to the allegation of exclusion of Senator Ubah in the whole program of the Cathedral commissioning, Very Rev. Hygi Aghaulor, Chairman Media Publicity Committee of the Cathedral Dedication of Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral, described the allegation as a blatant lie.
Addressing newsmen on Thursday at St Michaels Catholic Church Ugwuoye Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area, Very Rev. Fr. Aghaulor said that Senator Ubah, who was like other contributors to the construction of the Cathedral, was recognized during the dedication church service.
He said that Senator Ubah’s contribution was also mentioned on page 10 of the Dedication Brochure, adding that apart from the Cathedral dedication recognition, the Diocese in its 147 Parishes have for the past seven months been praying for the repose of his soul.
On the action of Sir Okoye, Very Rev. Fr. Aghaulor described his action as too hasty and based on unfounded allegations.
“Sir James Louis Okoye has committed apostasy. For somebody to publicly reject his faith is apostasy. It is an offense in the Canon law page 194 paragraph 1 to 2. Also in the Canon law page 751, somebody that committed apostasy is capable to lose his title. James was too hasty in his action and it is unfortunate he behaved the way he did.”
Following the incident, the Knights of St. John International proceeded with a formal investigation and issued Okoye a query regarding his conduct. After he allegedly failed to provide a satisfactory response, the Order made the decision to expel him.
The expulsion letter stated: “This decision follows a thorough probe into reports of your public denunciation of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and your subsequent embrace of apostasy. Such actions represent a grave violation of the fundamental requirements of our Noble Order.”
CONSTITUTIONAL AND CANONICAL GROUNDS
The Order based its action on four constitutional and canonical grounds:
1. Requirement to Remain a Practicing Catholic: According to Chapter VI, Section 23 of the KSJI Constitution, every member “shall be and remain a practicing Roman Catholic… Upon conviction of failure to comply with this requirement, such persons shall forfeit their membership in the Knights of St. John International.”
2. Conduct Unbecoming of a Knight: The letter stated that Okoye’s public actions constitute “conduct unbecoming a Knight,” which under Chapter II, Section 33, is a recognized offense within the Order. Furthermore, Chapter VI, Section 2 prohibits the retention of any member who violates the provisions of the Catholic Church or is a member of a society condemned by the Church.
3. Ecclesiastical Discipline: In accordance with Canon 1311 §1 of the Code of Canon Law, the Church “has its own inherent right to constrain with penal sanctions Christ’s faithful who commit offences.” The letter noted that Okoye’s act of apostasy—the total repudiation of the Christian faith—places him in direct violation of the Church’s spiritual authority, which the Order is sworn to protect.
4. Misconduct and Penalties: Chapter VI, Section 49 empowers a Subordinate Commandery to impose “expulsion for violation by any member of any by-law of said Commandery, or of any lawful order made by any superior officer.”
CEASE AND DESIST ORDER
The expulsion came with an immediate cease and desist order stripping Okoye of all claims, rights and privileges of membership in the Knights of St. John International.
The Order commanded Okoye to immediately:
Stop Wearing Uniforms: “You are no longer authorized to wear the KSJI Full Dress Uniform, Marching Uniform, or any attire associated with the Uniformed Rank.”
Cease Use of Insignia and Titles: “You must immediately stop using the title of ‘Sir’ or ‘Brother’ in relation to this Order, and you are prohibited from displaying the Knights of St. John Cross, Jewels of Honor, or any other insignia of rank.”
Surrender Order Property: “You are required to surrender any property belonging to the Commandery, including your ritual books and sword, as these are reserved strictly for members in good standing.”
The letter noted that under Canon 1336 §3 n. 5, the Church recognizes the prohibition against “exercising any right or privilege or using insignia or titles” as a valid expiatory penalty for those who have broken communion with the faith.
Concluding the expulsion letter, the Worthy President stated: “We regret that your journey with this Noble Order has come to this conclusion. However, the integrity of our mission to ‘cultivate a love for the Roman Catholic Church’ and maintain ‘filial respect for the spiritual authority of the Church’ leaves no room for compromise on the matter of apostasy.”
The letter was copied to the Supreme Secretary of KSJI, the Supreme Subordinate Secretary, the Grand Secretary of Nnewi Grand Commandery, and the Commandery Spiritual Director.
Investigation revealed that when the current Bishop of Nnewi ordered that the late Senator should hands off the project, it did not go down well with him and the Bishop, whom he alleged was influenced to take the action. Sources indicated that some members of the church who didn’t want him to take the glory influenced the church’s decision to withdraw the late Senator from the project.
It was gathered that Senator Ubah attempted to ignore the order to hands off the Cathedral construction but later decided to allow peace to reign in the Church as he did not want to disrespect the Bishop, who was still new to the Diocese, but wanted him to settle down and see the truth for himself, until his death.
When the news of the alleged exclusion of Senator Ubah from the program of the Cathedral commissioning broke in Nnewi, traders in the markets in Nnewi reacted angrily and threatened to leave and shun activities of the Catholic Church in Nnewi Diocese.
Sir J. Louis Okoye Has Committed Apostasy, It Is Offense In Canon LawAs of the time of this report, Sir James Louis Okoye had not issued any public response to the expulsion.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR LAWYERS: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
Reimagine your practice with the power of AI “...this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic.” — Ohio Books Ltd
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe, Esq., ACIArb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director, Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
Bonus:
Get a FREE eBook titled “How to Use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion” with every purchase.
How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌐 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access directly online at: https://selar.com/prv626
______________________________________________________________________ New Year Promo: Get Five Maritime Law Books For N150,000 — 63% Discount
The promotion, which commenced on January 8 and runs until February 8, 2026, offers five core maritime law books authored by Dr. Emeka Akabogu, SAN, ordinarily valued at N405,000, for just N150,000 — a 63% discount.
Interested buyers can place their orders through the following channels:
Phone: 0704 329 3271
Online Store: https://paystack.shop/aa-bookstore
Website: www.akabogulaw.com
______________________________________________________________________
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
_______________________________________________________________________
