Enugu priest, Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka has said that the authorities of the Enugu Catholic Diocese were behind his two days ordeal he went through.
Addressing his parishioners at the Adoration ground in Umuchigbo Nike, Enugu, Father Mbaka said that he was summoned by the Bishop from where he was kept incommunicado, adding that the plan was to keep him for 30 days.
He said that a lot of issues were presented against him after which the Church leadership, led by Bishop Calistus Onaga told him that he would remain indoors for one month, a period that would allow him pray and meditate over his activities.
The priest said that he requested to be allowed the opportunity to come and address his parishioners after which he would shut down, “but they said No. Allow me to and celebrate mass for my people just for today, I won’t even tell them that I am being punished, they said, No. I will just tell my members that I’m going for 30 days prayer, that after 30 days, we will come back and everybody will obey, they said, No.
“I also begged them to appoint another priest to come and celebrate mass for you today, they also said No.
“They didn’t treat me in a pastoral way. I was asking ‘am I being punished for what’?
“They said it was a meeting, but even before I reached the Bishop’s house, conclusion has already been made. What happened to me was like the day I was shot on the road.
“Unfortunately for them, even before the meeting, a woman was already going around bragging that the Bishop will call me for a meeting, and that I was going to leave my house here for 30 days, and that after the 30 days, I would be sent to Rome, and Adoration ministry will be closed.”
Mbaka cautioned that “in a time and cases like this, don’t give me a punishment that will cause troubles for us because I’m not alone.”
He said that Bishop Onaga upon seeing the protest over his predicament, allowed him to go.
Mbaka said one of things presented against him was that he blessed Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as well as his recent criticism of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Government.
“Are you the owner of my mouth? You can’t tell me who to bless? If you are not happy that I blessed someone, you have your own mouth, you can curse the person.
“I cannot hate my brother because of some people who hatred is in their genes.”
There was heavy protest in Enugu earlier today, May 5, over the reported missing of the Catholic Cleric.
