The traditional ruler of Obosi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, His Majesty, Igwe Chidubem Iweka, has decried alleged defamation of character by a Catholic priest in the state for warning against fraudulent land deals in his domain.
Igwe Iweka, who is also the Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, told newsmen at his palace on Thursday that Obosi community has zero tolerance for land grabbing or illicit business transactions capable of causing a breakdown of law and order and tarnishing the image of the town.
The warning followed alleged inappropriate conduct by a Catholic priest in the community, Rev. Fr. Jude Uchegbusi of ‘Olu Ndi Enuigwe Adoration Family Obosi’, who was accused of maligning the monarch’s name over his mediation in a land dispute between the priest and Mr Raphael Ojiribe, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Raphmaths Estates.
He urged the authorities of the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha to call the priest to order to avoid crisis in Obosi community.
Igwe Iweka expressed concern that an ordained priest would descend so low as to involve miscreants in threatening him and his cabinet members because they tried to arbitrate in the land dispute between the priest and the land developer.
The monarch said he had petitioned the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha and Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, against the priest, in a letter titled ‘Unchristian conduct and activities of Rev. Fr. Uchegbusi’, but alleged that the priest had continued to act as if he were above the law and beyond church authority.
According to him, ‘The Catholic Archbishop had earlier intervened by delegating a team of senior church leaders to my palace, and the people that came were priests I hold in high regard, but that did not yield any positive result because the priest did not respect the far-reaching decisions we made and is still causing trouble.
‘The priest and his co-travellers have been defaming me and castigating my name because I tried to arbitrate in his case with Mr Ojiribe. Should I be crucified for intervening in a matter in my community or for telling the truth?
‘I deliberately refused to involve the police in this matter because the Archbishop cannot be involved in settling the matter, while I, on the other hand, would be involving the police in the same issue. To me, that would be disrespectful to the church and the Archbishop. I therefore call on him again to expedite action in calling the priest to order. He cannot come to Obosi and be raising fists at us. And as a man of God, we expect better behaviour, due process in his dealings, and integrity, which we have not seen from him.
‘I reported the threats to my life from people who identified themselves as ESN members to the DSS when they were bold enough to tell me they would kill me if I disturbed the Rev. Fr again. One of them even called me and said he was in front of my palace and wanted to see me, but I did not give him audience. I have the numbers they were using to call.’
Reacting, the Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Uchegbusi, denied the allegations against him and accused the Umuopi family of using their youths and Mr Ojiribe to destroy church property in the area.
He said that the property was not his personal property but that of the Catholic Church, which acquired the land 15 years ago, adding that he only resided there to oversee church activities in the area.
According to the priest, ‘Part of the land was acquired by the Federal Government to allow the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge. It has developed, and the youths of Obosi felt that they could extort more money from me after all we have spent there. In fact, their plan is to eject us and resell the land.’
The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the Umuopi family in Ire village, Obosi, represented by its Chairman, Mr Kenechukwu Nwokolo, and other principal members of the family, has petitioned the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy in Vatican City, His Eminence Most Rev. (Cardinal) Lazarus You Heung-Sik, against Fr. Uchegbusi.
They also petitioned the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 13, Ukpo, Anambra State, against the priest.
The petition, signed by their lawyer, Mr Justus Uche Ijeoma, was titled ‘A case of criminal trespass to land, fraudulent dealing in land, attempt to incite murder, threat to life and conduct likely to cause breach of public peace by Rev. Fr. Jude Uchegbusi’.