The Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki and Ebonyi State Government on Monday engaged in verbal war over an alleged Executive Order preventing any court in the state from entertaining matters relating to the Effium crisis in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state.
The crisis has claimed many lives, with properties worth billions of naira destroyed in the process.
While the Catholic Church, through its Chancellor, Rev Fr Matthew Opoke, said the alleged Executive Order was in place in the state which prevented the release of one of its priests, Rev Fr Timothy Ngwuta, who was arrested and imprisoned for alleged promotion of the protracted Effium/Ezza Effium communal war, the State Government through its Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Cletus Ofoke dismissed the claim by the church.
Ngwuta was arrested by the Police on December 11, 2021 and detained for 12 days.
He was later released on bail as a result of ill health arising from his alleged torture by security agents.
He was rearrested on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 and arraigned on March 11, 2022 for alleged kidnapping and murder and remanded at the Abakaliki Correctional Centre.
Since then, he has been in detention at the correctional centre.
Fr Matthew Opoke said, “The Catholic Church condemns acts of violence, incitement of violence, wars, kidnapping, arson, or any crimes and will not shield anyone involved in such dastardly acts.
“We urge the security forces to do a thorough investigation and ensure that the Priest of God, who has, in conscience, stated before his Bishop that the accusations are entirely false, is not punished for offences he knows nothing about.”
According to the diocese, “Efforts to secure his release on bail have been hampered by the Executive Order preventing any court in the State from entertaining matters relating to Effium crisis.
“Recently the motion for bail was refused on the 12th of April, 2022. We implore all people of goodwill to join us in praying to God to touch those responsible for the incarceration of Fr. Timothy to listen to the voice of right conscience.”
But the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Cletus Ofoke in reaction said, “There is nothing like Executive Order on the Effium crisis. There is nothing to that effect.
“Of course, Government can never issue an order stopping the court from doing its legitimate duty. It is aimed at tarnishing somebody’s image and maligning the government. There is nothing like that.”
It noted that, “Once a matter is in court, nobody talks about it other than for the legal process to take its course. This is what the Ebonyi State Government has done and the Government has no hand in the priest’s case. The case of the priest is purely a legal issue from police to court.
“So, nothing concerns the Ebonyi State Government and it is not only the priest that is being incarcerated over the matter there in Effium. People are aware that so many people have been charged to court; some of them are in prison, and some of them are being tried by the court. So, the priest is also a human being.” He added
