Reverend Father Mbaka apologises to Catholic Church after his supporters attack bishop's court

CONTROVERSIAL clergyman Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka has apologised to the Catholic Church over the recent attack on and destruction of the Enugu Catholic Diocese Bishop’s Court and Holy Ghost Cathedral in Enugu by his supporters.

Last week, Reverend Father Mbaka disappeared for 24 hours because he was detained by the Enugu Catholic bishop Most Reverend  Callistus Onaga for criticising President Muhammadu Buhari. Reverend Mbaka, the spiritual director of the Adoration Ministry in Enugu, had called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign because God is angry with him over the widespread killing of innocent people across Nigeria.

His disappearance created widespread tension in Enugu, forcing Bishop Onaga to allow him to go after seeing the protests that ensued. Once word got out that Reverend Mbaka was detained by the bishop, his parishioners marched to the Bishop’s Court where they destroyed properties and also at the Holy Ghost Cathedral.

Rendering an apology for these attacks while delivering his sermon on Sunday at the Adoration Ground in Emene, Reverend Father Mbaka said the church did not kidnap him. He said he was misquoted in the first statement by people who want to cause problem between him and the church and the protest was hijacked by some hoodlums who capitalised on it to unleash mayhem.

Reverend Father Mbaka said:“I wish to apologise to whoever that misunderstood my statement at New Haven. I didn’t clap for anybody for destroying anything.

“I am here standing on your behalf and I render my sincere unalloyed apologies to the Holy Roman and Apostolic Church where I belong and say may the mother church forgive us in any way we didn’t do it well even in all that I said, where I didn’t say it well, we pray for their forgiveness. I am on your behalf, kneeling down for the church and I say may the church forgive.

"What has happened has happened but we are to save the image of the church and the face of the church and the souls of the son of God. People started going in and breaking things both Igbos, Hausas and Yorubs, Catholics and non-Catholics.

“The church is not my property I belong to the church so I am asking my lord Bishop Onaga and all the priests of Enugu diocese and for everybody to rest the case. The prayer of reparation we will join, I didn’t send anybody to destroy anything I have no problem with anybody and I can’t disobey the church.

"How can somebody who has been serving the church for 25 years come out to begin to fight the same church. I thank God nobody died but one person was said to have poured fuel round the Bishop’s Court and wanted to light himself up with the house. Is that not another type of suicide bomber?"

He said parishioners should agree on a day to go in their large numbers to the bishop and apologise to him. Following the attack,  Bishop Onaga declared a week of prayer for reparation over the incident.