Following the reported disappearance of Enugu based fiery Catholic priest, Reverend Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), it has been reported that he has reappeared and has given insights into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
His disappearance followed his altercations with the Presidency since he called for the resignation of President Muhamadu Buhari over the alarming rate of insecurity in the country. He was then invited by the Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, to the Bishop court as the latter sought to weld into the matter. However, nothing was heard for the Rev. Fr. after he informed his people that he had arrived at the Bishops’ court as his phones were switched off.
When Enugu Adoration faithful gathered for the usual Wednesday prayer which is usually led by Mbaka himself and he was nowhere to be found, they marched to the Bishops’ court in protest, demanding that Fr. Mbaka be produced. As the protest which eventually turned destructive took place, Fr. Mbaka appeared among the protesters’ and rode with them to his parish in a motocade.
Addressing what happened, the Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN) said he was detained by the Bishop on his arrival at the Bishops’ court on Tuesday and was told he would be held for a month. He claimed that asides from his back and forth with the Presidency, another reason for his detention was his support for the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
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Meanwhile, as tension mounted over the disappearance of the radical priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, fingers were also pointed at the Federal government as being responsible for his disappearance following his loggerheads with the presidency at the time of his disappearance. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide (OYC) had on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, issued a statement through the office of the President-General of OYC, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike. The statement read:
We have it on good authority that his aides have neither seen nor heard from him since Tuesday. Calls put to his mobile line have also remained unanswered; this has now prompted us to issue this alarm as we would not take it lightly should anything untoward happen to him.
We are giving the Federal Government 48 hours to produce the priest, else they should be ready to face Igbo youths. They were dining and wining with him all along and now that he told the truth, they are no longer comfortable with him.
Let nothing happen to Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka. It will not be in anybody’s interest.”
However, the Department for State Security, DSS, denied that they had anything to do with the “missing” Catholic priest when reached by journalists. The spokesman of the DSS, Peter Afunaya, was quick to allay fears that Fr. Mbaka was being held by operatives of the DSS.
When asked, he said: “Rev Fr Mbaka is not with the DSS. The DSS did not pick him up, please.”
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