In Onitsha for a funeral not protest march
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 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 by 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 youth in order to seek a possible safe-
passage. In spite of the armored 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 youth.
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 now angry youth turned
out to be needless. As he further trekked to get
back to his car, those among the youth with
camera-telephones photographed him in the
midst of all those youth.
The Archbishop eventually got into his car and
had to find a back-way route to Abatete 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 Archbishop Obinna either came from Owerri
or Rome to join the protest march of the pro-
Biafra youth.
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