felalegend: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1555513081418739&id=100008801852587 IN ONITSHA FOR A FUNERAL NOT PROTEST MARCH - Archbishop Obinna ‘’For the sake of those who may have been misled by internet or media reports about Archbishop Obinna’s presence in Onitsha on the 30th May 2016, it has become necessary to give the true story’’. On Monday the 30th May, Most Rev. Anthony J.V. Obinna, Archbishop of Owerri, left for Onitsha for the funeral of Rev. Sr. Innocentia Ehirim at the Immaculate Heart Convent, Nkpor. He was accompanied by a good number of priests, religious and laity since the late Sister Innocentia had worked for ten years in the Archdiocese of the Owerri, before her later postings. From Ihiala, signs of unrest began to be seen with unusual road blocks. In any case Archbishop Obinna and his entourage arrived at their destination without much inconvenience. After the Holy Mass and the burial of the Rev. Sister, in the process of returning to Owerri through the Nkpor-Onitsha route through which he and his entourage came, he found that burning tyres had been set up by youths blocking and preventing the normal flow of traffic. The Archbishop was constrained to stop in order to plead for passage for himself and those who accompanied him. On getting past this first blockage he ran into a bigger road-block with more massive burning tyres and a greater crowd of youth. On sighting the police ahead of him, Archbishop Obinna made his way beyond the milling and shouting youths in order to seek a possible safe-passage. In spite of the armoured vehicle standing there and the police in battle-gear, Archbishop Obinna made his way to the Commanding Officer. After speaking with the officer and being advised to turn back and find another route because of the apparent tension. Archbishop Obinna walked backward only to be besieged by the pro-Biafra shouting youths. From mildly charging that the Catholic Church and CAN should speak out on behalf of the Biafra cause some of the youth descended to abusive and threatening talk in expressing their joblessness, poverty and frustration. Trying to respond calmly to the angry youths, it now turned out to be needless. As he further trekked to get back to his car, those among the youths with camera-phones photographed him in the midst of all those youths. The Archbishop eventually got into his car and found a back-way route to Abetete and on to Nnewi from where he then returned to Owerri. This is the true story behind the lying and deceptive photographs and stories on the internet and some newspapers falsely claiming that the Archbishop either came from Owerri or Rome to join the protest march of the pro-Biafra youths.
