This is not the best of times for churches
and clergymen in Anambra State. Call it
signs of the end tme and one is not far
from the truth. Hitherto, sacred places
often dreaded even by the insane are now
targets of daredevil robbers. There is a
slogan right now in the state which says
“one Sunday, one church robbery”.
In the last two weeks in Anambra State,
armed robbers have invaded about three
churches at odd hours leaving sorrow
and tears in their trail. The Catholic
Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian
Okeke, worried over the unusual
development, has initiated a prayer
programme in the archdiocese for the
repentance of criminals who are
harassing and attacking churches in
Onitsha and beyond. The Archbishop has
enjoined the faithful to say the prayers
with dedication and commitment so that
robbery attacks in the parishes will end.
First to host the unwanted visitors was St.
John of the Cross Catholic Church, Egbo,
Uruagu, Nnewi. The robbers had stormed
the parish rectory about 1 am on Sunday
night and held the priest and other
residents hostage for over one hour. At
the end of the invasion, they made away
with an unspecified amount of cash and a
bus belonging to the parish choir.
According to sources, the robbers
numbering about 10 gained access to the
main building by cutting the burglary
proof bars on one of the windows in the
parlour. They had earlier tied the hands
of the security men before they went to
the place where drivers and seminarians
were sleeping, meted the same treatment
to them and went further to collect the
car keys and proceeded to the area where
the parish priest and other priests were
staying.
When they entered they saw a priest and
ordered him to show them the parish
priest’s flat and he complied immediately.
Finding it difficult to enter through the
door, they gained access through the
ceiling. The robbers immediately pointed
their guns at the parish priest, barking
orders at him to bring all the money in
the house including the Sunday
offering.The priest surrendered everything
to them.
Sunday Sun learnt that while the robbers
were carrying on with their evil
operations, two of the drivers succeeded
in untying themselves and escaped. They
were said to have informed one of the
parishioners around who quickly phoned
the police at the Nnewi Central Police
Station but the police never responded
till the robbers finished and left the
scene.
The Parish Priest , Very Rev. Fr. Peter
Ezeani, while narrating his ordeal,
confirmed that seven of the armed
robbers entered his room armed with
AK47 and pump action rifles. He said
they collected all the valuables in the
house including cash.
While the Nnewi incident was still fresh,
another robbery incident was reported at
Holy Trinity Parish, Ogidi, Idemili North
Local Government Area.
The robbers were said to have stormed
the church compound at 3:00 am
ransacking all the rooms for about one
and half hours.
Though some of the priests residing in
the parish were away on ministerial
engagements when the bandits struck, the
robbers reportedly had ample time to cart
away laptops, ipads and an undisclosed
amount of money.
The same night, the marauders swooped
on the clergymen at St. Mary’s Catholic
Church, Nnokwa in Idemili South Local
Government. Their style of operation was
almost similar to the siege at Ogidi
thereby fueling suspicion that it was the
same gang that operated in the two
parishes.
‘Return your loot or face the
consequences’
Apparently irked by the unusual boldness
of the robbers who struck sacred places,
one of the resident priests at Holy Trinity
Catholic Church, Ogidi, Very Rev. Fr. Basil
Gbuzue has called on the gang of robbers
who stormed the church premises to
return the stolen items or be ready to
face the wrath of God.
Fr. Gbuzue who is the Spiritual Director,
Mountain of Solution Catholic Adoration
Ministry, Nkpor, Anambra State said the
robbers were lucky that he was not
around the night they broke into the
rectory.
“Those hungry criminals were lucky that I
was not around. Had it been that they
met me, they won’t have any option than
to surrender and confess their past
escapades. I would have loved to be there
when the criminals arrived so that they
will experience the efficacy of prayers and
the word of God. You cannot steal my
property and get away with it just like that
since the consequences of perpetuating
such evil will last for eternity,” he said.
The cleric, popularly known as Man pass
Man also disclosed his readiness to
pardon the hoodlums provided they
return their loot. He commended the
Archbishop for initiating the prayer
programme and called on other parishes
that have experienced the same trauma to
take heart, remain steadfast and be
vigilant.
Fr. Gbuzue also said Governor Peter Obi
should in collaboration with the security
agencies initiate more strategies to
checkmate the activities of criminals
attacking churches.
Commenting on the ugly development, a
Knight of the Catholic Church, Sir Fidel
Onuekwusi described the situation as the
manifestations of the country’s eroded
value system. He noted that even insane
people respected sacred places but today
people commit all sorts of sacrilegious
acts in the society without minding the
repercussions. He reminded evildoers
that nemesis and retribution are coming
and they should also be mindful of the
biblical injunction saying “Touch not my
anointed and do my prophets no harm.”
The Anambra State Police Public Relations
Officer, DSP Emeka Chukwuemeka in a
chat with Sunday Sun confirmed that the
command was aware of the latest tactics
robbers were deploying in the state but
assured that security of lives and property
remained the priority of the police. He
said the command had recorded several
breakthroughs in crime prevention and
detection and would never relent.
TheSun
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