The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has dismissed Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka’s ‘prophecy’ alleging plots by corrupt politicians to assassinate President Muhammadu Buhari as “sensationalism and rumour peddling.” The ‘prophecy’ should “therefore should be seen for what it truly is – delusional fantasy,” HURIWA said weekend.

A statement signed jointly by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, said: “The rights group has resolved to drag Reverend Father Mbaka to the Holy Father Pope Francis if within 21 days the Catholic Bishops Conference (CBCN) fails to reprimand him and stop him from associating actively and notoriously with politicians at both national and regional levels.”

HURIWA recalled that the usually controversial Catholic Priest and Founder, Adoration Ministries Enugu Nigeria (AMEN) on January 1, 2016 urged President Buhari to be on his guards, prophesying that alleged beneficiaries of massive corruption perpetrated during ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration were plotting to kill him.

HURIWA accused the Catholic priest “of engaging in cheap and childish rumour mongering and sophistry” just as the group said the Catholic Church’s leadership “must call him to order because he has become a political loose cannon who can’t separate sermons from partisan politics.” It said that the purported prophecy “lacks scientific and empirical evidence and smacks of sensationalism and therefore qualifies as an unmitigated emotional fallacy and a misdirected outburst which should be disregarded.”

HURIWA said: “Reverend Father Mbaka should cover his face in shame for displaying gross ignorance of the workings of the democratic and law-based tenets and provisions of the Constitution which deems suspects brought before the court of competent jurisdiction as totally innocent in the eye of the law until contrary determination is made by the Court in line with due process of the law.

“Fr Mbaka is putting his priestly calling and office to the pecuniary services of the All Progressives Congress of President Buhari because it is barely two weeks he was photographed smiling with his Political host in the Presidential mansion President Muhammadu Buhari that he emerged from his delusional hibernation to manufacture cock-and -bull story about some plots to assassinate Mr President by corrupt politicians.”

Dismissing the prophecy as delusional and empty, the rights group said: “Is Fr Mbaka a judge who has passed presiding over cases of alleged graft involving any immediate past political office holder and adjudged them guilty of corrupt practices? Is Fr Mbaka unaware that as the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces that President Muhammadu Buhari is the most protected citizen in Nigeria now with hundreds of well armed and highly trained professional guards drawn from the Nigerian Military and the Secret Police headed by President Muhammadu Buhari’s kinsman? Is Fr Mbaka unaware that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is waging a counter terror war and that the armed Islamists have vowed in several media recordings to kill not just the Commander in chief but officials of government? This Mbaka’s whitewash must be consigned to the dustbins without further delay.”

•Photo shows Reverend Father Mbaka and President Buhari.

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