THE Administration of Ahiara Catholic Diocese, Mbaise, Imo State, has
deplored the invasion of the Cathedral by the Imo State Police
Command, which it said unleashed a violent attack on a large number of
the Catholic faithful who had gathered seeking God's intervention in
the long-festering bishopric crisis in the diocese. This follows the
allegation made by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo
Lakanu that youths of the diocese set up bonfires, barricaded the
highway and disrupted the peace of the town when the national
president of Catholic Women Organisation, CWO, Mrs. Agnes Erogunaye,
visited St. Rose Catholic Church, a parish in the diocese.
Speaking with Vanguard, the Secretary of Ahiara Diocesan Catholic
Youths Organisation, Mr. Victor Uzodimma decried the unwarranted
attack on the Catholic faithful because they refused to welcome
Erogunaye. He said: "What occasioned the attack on unarmed Catholic
faithful by the Nigeria Police Force was the planned visit of the
president of the National Council of Catholic Women Organization, Mrs.
Erogunaye, to Ahiara Diocese at the instance of pro-Bishop Okpalaeke
group.
"The faithful had gathered at the Cathedral to show their disapproval
of the visit of Mrs. Erogunaye whom they alleged had proven in her
short reign as the national leader of CWO to be an enemy of Ahiara
Diocese. However, the Ahiara Catholic faithful were determined to
resist the visit in a peaceful way through prayer and wearing of black
attires.
"Since assuming office as the national leader of the National Council
of Catholic Women Organization [NCCWO] in Nigeria in November of 2015,
Mrs. Erogunaye has made it her sole project to suppress, disgrace and
humiliate the Catholic faithful of Ahiara Diocese through the national
CWO.
"She wants to make a name for herself as the woman who defeated the
Catholic faithful of Ahiara Diocese in their quest to remove the
shackle of injustice and oppression that was visited on them with the
unjust appointment of Bishop Okpalaeke as their diocesan bishop," he
explained. The Diocesan Youth Secretary further explained that the way
and manner Erogunaye visited, coupled with the influx of the police at
the Cathedral smacked of a grand design to intimidate the people of
the diocese.
According to him, "that visit was remarkable given that it was the
first time the national leadership of the NCCWO was being dragged into
the Ahiara Diocesan bishopric crisis. "According to reports, the
pro-Okpalaeke women as well as CWO delegates from nearby dioceses were
instructed to put on the Ahiara Diocesan CWO uniform and gather at St.
Rose parish, Ihitte to welcome the national president of the CWO where
there would be demonstration against the diocesan priests who have
remained resolute in their rejection of Bishop Okpalaeke as bishop of
Ahiara diocese.
"However, when the plan of the pro-Okpalaeke group filtered into the
ears of the Catholic faithful of Ahiara diocese, they decided to carry
out a peaceful counter-demonstra-tion on the same day in the Cathedral
premises. "As early as 6:30 a.m. that Saturday morning, men, women and
youths dressed in black attires had already assembled at the Mater
Ecclesiae Cathedral premises, where they embarked on a rosary
procession around the premises.
"Meanwhile as the prayers were going on, several police Hilux vans
arrived at the Cathedral with fully armed policemen led by their DPO,
Mr. Danjuma Ragga. After address-ing the people outside the Cathedral
gate, the first contingent of Police-men left the scene. "But at 10:50
a.m., over 40 Police-men in eight Hilux vans returned to the cathedral
and without any pro-vocation from the youths, began shooting canisters
of teargas into the crowd. Many people fell and were matched upon with
several injured in the stampede that followed.
"They arrested some persons in-cluding priests and seminarians and
fired teargas into rooms and kitchen of the bishop's house where many
had run for safety," the youth secretary narrated. It will be recalled
that the Catholic faithful of Ahiara Diocese have been resisting the
imposition of Bishop Peter Okpalaeke, considered an outsider, whose
appointment is contrary to the provisions of the Vatican, which stated
that a candidate for the office of the Bishop should be close to the
people.
-Vanguard
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