Two Catholic Priests of Nsukka Diocese, Enugu State in Nigeria were on Thursday 12 July 2018 recklessly manhandled, beaten to stupor and loudly injured by some unmasked and masked youths of Ogbodu-Aba in Udenu Local Government Area, Enugu State.
Rev. Fr. Peter Chikwado Udaya, the parish priest of St. Patrick’s Parish Ibenda and Rev. Fr. Daniel Tochukwu Akubue, the parish priest of St. Mary’s Parish Ada-Obollo and the assistant Diocesan Liturgist were attacked as they were going back to their duty posts after a brief visit from St. Charles Parish Eha-Ndiagu.
It was gathered that as the two clergy men got to Ogbodu-Aba, they were stopped, blocked and shamefully harassed by some masked and unmasked Ogbodu-Aba youths and the slightest attempt by the priests to inquire what was amiss were greeted with rains of lashes and massive downpour of slaps from every side. The youths rounded them up and made it difficult for them to escape and pounced on them until the two priests sustained serious injuries.
The crowds that gathered as the show of shame and disrespect was going on did not even help the priests; instead they encouraged and hailed the misguided youths to go on with their mischievous act. Report showed that the two priests were eventually rescued by Mr. Stephen Eze and his wife who later was said to have been ostracized by the community members.
We learnt that Fr. Chikwado Udaya during the attack sustained a lot of injuries some of which affected his vision. In fact, since the ugly incident occurred, he has not been able to see with one of his eyes. He has already undergone an eye operation but the situation is still bad. Fr. Akubue Daniel as at the time of filing this report is still receiving treatment.
Record has it that a seminarian who worked at the Catholic Secretariat, Nsukka last year,was also seriously wounded by one of the group members of another Nsukka Masquerade that most people thought he was dead due to the fact that they left him fatally injured. And this made the Bishop of Nsukka Most Rev. Prof. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah to speak against the attacking of Christians by Nsukka Masquerade.
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