[quote author=Divab post=8018219]Priest terrorizes kinsmen
Written by horn Latest News, Letters Mar 30, 2011
Priest terrorizes kinsmen

A Catholic Priest from Umuezeala Village in Umuihim Community of Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, Rev. Fr. Donatus Ihekwoaba has been accused of allegedly terrorizing the people of his area in recent time by arresting and detaining them day after day over land dispute.

Rev. Fr. Ihekwoaba who resides in Canada, but currently in his home was said to have brought armed military and police men who besieged the village on different occasions, beat, arrest and detained some of the villagers who opposed the priest’s attempt to close their ancestral communal road with his new building in the village.

According to investigations by Nigerian Horn, the Clergy had exchanged a plot of land with one of his kinsmen, Prince Dennis Obiji on the agreement that the Priest will not close the ancestral communal road when he returned to the country last two years.

Contrary to the agreement reached before the land on which the new building is standing was exchanged, the Priest recently started closing the access road by raising a fence that is preventing some of the villagers from getting to their houses and plots of land.

When the villagers who are more of Catholic faithfuls asked what was going on regarding their access road, in which women of the area demonstrated, the Catholic priest initiated various ways of intimidating the villagers.

On the 8th of March, 2011, the priest besieged the area with army of military men, who beat some of the villagers, arrested and detained Mr. James Chukwukezie and Louis Chukwukezie who are the owners of the houses its access road is closed by the priest’s fence.

On discovering that the matter was a land dispute as against armed robbery and attempt of kidnapping the priest reported, the men were release, but were re-arrested two days after when armed police men visited the village around 10.00pm as James Chukwukezie is still in detention as at the time of this report.

When Nigerian Horn visited the village yesterday morning, villagers were in sad mood over the action of the Catholic priest whom they said, was collectively trained as a Catholic priest in the area before he left for Canada.

The President of Umuihim Community, Priest Acho Awuzie who was beaten by the force men and was stripped naked before the villagers in the process, said the Priest came with Armed military men and arrested some of his kinsmen over a land dispute.

Priest Awuzie pointed out that the villagers have called the Priest and requested him to stop the fence, which he stressed close the access road to other houses, but the priest refused and started arresting the villagers.

He regretted that a Catholic Priest who was trained by the villagers is the one closing their access road and detaining them as well.

Some of the village elders, men, women and youths Mr. Zabulon Nwaiwu, Maxwell Awuzie, and Esther Awuzie among others interviewed said that an agreement was reached between the Priest and the person that exchanged the land with him that the road will not be closed, but the priest ignored that.

They regretted the actions of their Priest whom they said has spoiled the image of Catholic Priesthood, adding that the access road has been there before the priest was born.

All efforts to reach the Priest on phone failed.

[can anyone share any info on this Priest we are looking into allegations of a abuse now in Canada ]