arrest of four priests and closure of the Catholic cathedral in
Ahiara, Mbaise, Imo State
This followed a violent protest over who should be the Bishop of the
Catholic Diocese of the area.
Also arrested were eight youths who were suspected to have
participated in the shooting of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO),
of Ahiazu division, Danjuma Ragga, a Superintendent of Police (SP).
Ragga, is currently recuperating in an undisclosed hospital following
wounds he sustained from gun shots said to have been fired from the
cathedral when the SP led a team of police men to restore law and
order in the area.
There had been protests in the diocese for about three years following
the appointment of Bishop Peter Opkaleke, by Pope Francis, as the
bishop of the diocese. They are insisting that a priest from the area
should mount the saddle and not Opkaleke, who hails from Anambra
State.
Because of the insistence, The Guardian gathered that a Vicar General,
Rev. Fr. Clement Ebi, was appointed to function in the diocese as a
bishop, pending the resolution.
The latest crisis erupted when the Vicar General wanted to host the
Catholic Women Organization of the diocese at St. Roses Catholic
Church, Ezinihitte, on Saturday. The youths, in their numbers came and
barricaded the streets and Cathedral, setting fire and carrying leaves
and placards and resisted the event from holding.
A statement issued yesterday, in Owerri, and signed by the Police
Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Andrew Enwerem, a Superintendent of
Police, Lakanu, said he was determined to restore peace and order,
warning the perpetrators of the violence.
The statement reads: "Twelve suspects, including four Rev. Fathers,
were eventually arrested and are been interrogated. All those involved
in the shooting of the DPO will be fished out and prosecuted. The
Commissioner of police has therefore, ordered the Cathedral to remain
under lock and key to avoid further violence."
According to the CP, the protesters had defied all attempts made by
the police to restore peace, alleging that the youths, led by a priest
Rev. Fr. John Ogoekwe, of the CKC, Uvuru, Aboh Mbaise, who choose to
disrupt peace in the area, leading to the shooting of Ragga, on both
legs and hand.
-The Guardian
