The Catholic Diocese of Enugu has debunked and condemned the news that the Bishop of the Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga has a 27 year son living with him at his residence. It will be recalled that recently, a self proclaimed spokesman of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ikpa claimed in a seeming incoherent narrative that the Bishop had a secrete 27 year old son. The frivolous claim has it that the Bishop has accepted his son and he is housing him at the Bishop’s Court.
However, the Diocese through the Communications Director, Rev. Fr. Benjamin Achi has urged the faithful and the public in general to disregard such message as it is a fake news and a mischievous attempt to defame the authority of the church in Enugu Diocese.
The full statement reads
RE: FAKE NEWS IN THE AIR!
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
A good number of us must have seen a footage making the rounds where the fugitive leader of a faction of IPOB named Simon Ekpa made some libelous comments about our beloved Bishop, Most Rev C.V.C Onaga. We understand many of us have taken that frivolous claim with a pinch of salt This is because we know that there is no iota of truth in that story.
The fact is that the renegade, Mr Ekpa, has been launching repeated onslaughts against his Lordship. The reason is because of the bishop’s critical stance against the preposterous sit -at- home order which his (Mr Ekpa’s) faction of IPOB has continued to enforce even when the original group has dissociated themselves from the order.
Let it be on record that the bishop has never been against Biafra and the Biafran project.
Recall that the same Simon Ekpa had last December made another short video where he alleged that the bishop had received the sum of 150 million Naira from the Federal Government to betray Fr Ejike Mbaka and have him killed. They obviously came up with this second story because people saw through the lies of the first story and it didn’t fly.
We have engaged a good number of the websites and blogs carrying this fake story and we’ve flagged it down and the administrators of those platforms got it deleted.
Our message here is to get you in the know of the actual reason for this attack on his Lordship. Thus we invite you to join hands with the communications directorate so as to discredit this fake story and make our faithful as well as the general public see it for the fake story that it is. Do well to report this story as fake anywhere you see it online or elsewhere.
Rev Fr Benjamin Achi
Director of Social Communications
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