Group raises alarm over alleged plans to assassinate Mbaka

MEMBERS of the Catholic Adoration Ministry, Enugu, founded by fiery Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka on Thursday raised fresh alarm over alleged plans to assassinate him before the March 28 general elections.

In a press statement signed by Ike Maximus Ugwuoke, a lawyer, the Adoration Ministry chronicled instances of the alleged threats, adding also that the Enugu State Police Command had refuted claims by Fr. Mbaka that his life was in danger,dismissing the claims as baseless.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Ebere
Amarizu , was quoted as saying, ‘We do not have any report by Fr.Mbaka over threat to his life. We have not received any complaint from him.”

But, the group, in yesterday’s statement said :”On the backdrop of the above, one begins to wonder whether the alarm raised by Fr Mbaka  on an alleged plot to kill him was a mere rhetoric as the police had made it to appear merely because there has not been an official report to the police
over it.

Absence of a formal report on threat to one’s life doesn’t negate the reality of such threat more so when the victim had made a
public outcry on this issue. To argue otherwise is akin to denying the fact of death in the face of a man’s corpse merely because there is no
certificate certifying his death.

“Rev Fr. Mbaka had consistently in his public outings been raising alarm over threat to his life and strange calls and messages threatening to assassinate him.

The issue of threat to Fr Mbaka’s life has become worrisome that even at his last Friday’s Adoration Programme held on 13th March 2015, he did not turn out in his usual car due to security alert he had of his planned assassination on that day. Yesterday strange hoodlums in a black Hillux and besieged his parish compound but they left disappointed when they could not see him.

“Wherever and from whoever this threat is coming from, we state that there are strong and compelling circumstances pointing towards the fact that Fr. Mbaka’s latest attacks were stemming from his 2015 New Year message .

“We also wish to state that before the 2015 New Year message of Fr Mbaka, he used to pray for Jonathan’s Government and never raised any alarm on threats to his life but after the 31st night message , he has been making a public outcry of threat to his life.

“With the stage the level of threat to Fr. Mbaka’s life has reached, we
call on Nigerian Police and indeed all security agencies in this country to protect the life of our Spiritual Director we else may
resort to enforce his fundamental right to life
as guaranteed under section 33 of the 1999

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended which confers on Nigerian citizens the power to secure the enforcement of their human rights even in events of likelihood of any infringements.
This is apparently due to the fact that the right to life can only be enjoyed by the living”