Followers of controversial Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka on Sunday stormed the streets of Umuchigbo in Enugu metropolis to protest the ban on the clerics Adoration Ministry, Enugu.
Bishop of Enugu Catholic Diocese, Most. Rev. Callistus Onaga, had on Saturday banned all priests and Catholic faithful from attending Mbaka’s Adoration Ministry.
The ban followed Mbaka’s tirades against the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The Catholic priest had on Wednesday at his Adoration grounds said Obi would never be the President because he’s a ‘stingy man.’
The priest’s remarks drew heavy criticisms from various quarters.
The cleric later backtrack and apologised for maligning Obi and injuring his supporters.
But inspite of Mbaka’s apology, Bishop Onaga prohibited the Catholic faithful from attending his Adoration until the due canonical process initiated by the Diocese is concluded.
Bishop Onaga said the decision was based on the fact that some of the teachings and utterances of Mbaka at the Catholic Adoration Ministry were not consistent with the teachings and faith of the Catholic Church
But less than 24 hours after Mbaka’s Adoration Ministry was banned, his followers gathered on Sunday morning at the ground and began protest against Bishop Onaga.
Chanting songs, the protesting worshippers condemned the Bishop and called him unprintable names.
They challenged his authority for clamping down on the Mbaka’s Ministry.
According to one of them, “Our Spiritual Director has done nothing wrong. He is a man of God and talks as the spirit leads him. So, Bishop Onaga cannot just wake up and ban the ministry. They are trying to dictate to him what to say and what not to say.”
The protesting worshippers also launched attack on journalists and anyone who dared to take pictures of the protest.