Ejike Mbaka, the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry Enugu has accused the Catholic Diocese of Enugu of planning to keep him away from the public for 30 days.
He alleged they also planned to send him away to Rome over his recent comments on President Muhammadu Buhari and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.
Mbaka stated this on Wednesday while reacting to apprehension and protest that trailed his sudden disappearance from his parish on Wednesday.
He has been suspended by the church for one month after his followers vandalized property at the Bishop’s court.
He said he was summoned by the church leadership led by Calistus Onaga from where he was kept incommunicado.
According to him, a lot of issues were presented against him after which he was told that he would remain indoors for one month, a period that would allow him to pray and meditate over his activities.
Mbaka said 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 go 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 am 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, the conclusion had 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 would 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 Onaga, upon seeing the protest over his predicament, allowed him to go.
Mbaka said one of the things presented against him was that he blessed the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu but later criticised 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 whom hatred is in their genes,” he declared.
Mbaka has been in the news over his recent call on the National Assembly to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari if he fails to resign due to the rising insecurity in the country.
The Presidency has attributed Mbaka’s outburst to the refusal of Buhari to give him contracts.
Reacting, Mbaka said the foreign contractors he took to meet the president at the Presidential Villa were people who wanted to resolve the high level of insecurity in the country.
