By CHARLES IWUOHA, Enugu

The Catholic Diocese of Enugu may have concluded plans to suspend the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, from church activities for one month.

News Express gathered that Mbaka was asked to proceed on suspension with effect from May 3, 2021 after being summoned by the Bishop, Rt. Rev Dr. Callistus Onaga.

This led to his disappearance for over a day, with him being released only after violent protests by his teeming supporters in Enugu.

Mbaka’s offence is said to be his recent verbal clashes with the Federal Government of Nigeria, which the Diocese leadership believes is tarnishing the image of the Catholic Church. Mbaka had asked President Muhammadu Buhari to resign or be impeached for alleged poor performance, prompting the Presidency to accuse him of being bitter for being denied a contract. Mbaka, Buhari’s long-time buddy, denied the allegation and went ahead to express support for separatist Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). He disappeared days later.

News Express learnt that while Bishop Onaga and other senior reverend fathers of the Enugu Diocese recognise that Mbaka’s Adoration Ministry is an independent congregation that does not fall directly under the main church’s control, he could still be reined in as a priest under the Roman Catholic Church’s certification.

“We know people will link this to his confrontation with Buhari, but he was once demoted from a parish priest to a deputy under a parish priest,” a church official told News Express on Thursday morning.

“He had also been transferred from bigger parishes to smaller ones for his frequent infractions in the past,” the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, added.

News Express reports that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide (OYC) on Wednesday raised the alarm over the whereabouts of the fiery priest.

This sparked protests by Mbaka’s supporters, who marched to Bishop Onaga’s official residence and vandalised it. The anger of the protesters was assuaged only after Mbaka reappeared yesterday afternoon, alleging that Bishop Onaga engineered his detention for some 30 hours.