Abakaliki-Catholic priest of Nsukka Diocese, Reverend Father Paul Obayi, popularly known as Fr Okunerere has revealed his intention to leave the Catholic church over alleged oppression.
Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka, the spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, who is also under the Enugu Catholic Diocese, had a similar battle with his Bishop which later led to the imposition of a ban on him and the shutting down of his ministry. Although the ministry had since been reopened, the Enugu Diocese changed the ministry to chaplaincy.
He said: “The church is my vineyard, I love the church, I love my Nsukka church, I love the bishop, I love the priests, I love them, but they are oppressing me. “At Obimo, I got land to build my adoration ministry. It’s a mountain. I spent more than N50m to level the place and create roads, then built a 30-room self-contained house there. The church collected it from me and I surrendered it. Kidnappers are using that building today to keep their victims because the church isn’t using it till today after collecting it from me. The Bishop said he wants to use the place as Nsukka Diocesan Pilgrimage Centre.
“It got to the point that fellow priests broke my gate just to take my land, they said they were sent. “I have been inviting the Bishop to my adoration but he refused to come, saying he doesn’t understand what we are doing here.