By: CHRIS ANUCHA And TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
He was abducted at about 2:30am on Tuesday, April 23, 2012. It is not an exaggeration if one says that fateful Sunday was the most trying moment in the history of the church. The kidnappers did not only steal their joy, they also robbed them of their spirituality. Despite assurances by Rev. Father Kinsley Eze, who was on hand to fill the gap and to comfort and tell members of the congregation that, ‘all will be well’, many of them were still skeptical about the safety of their priest and the possibility of his returning home alive.
But last Sunday, May 6, 2012, was a sharp contrast of what the previous Sunday was. Songs of praise rent the air; members of the church raised their hands to heavens in supplication, worship and thanksgiving to God for delivering the priest from what many described as ‘devil’s cathedral’. They sang songs like, “My soul magnify the Lord, my spirit praise His name, for death could not hold him captive, even in the grave, Jesus is Lord, for death could not hold him captive, even in the grave, Jesus is Lord”, ‘‘I know my redeemer liveth, I know my redeemer liveth, I know my redeemer liveth, He liveth forever more’’, ‘’unchangeable God’’, ‘’ I rely on you’’, among others.
Rev. Father Eze, who addressed the excited congregation earlier, described the kidnap saga this way: “He was lost but found, dead, but now he is alive, last Sunday, I asked you if you were happy and you chorused, no! Today, you are happy, our father is back, he is in your midst, alive!” “Last Sunday, we were not happy because our priest was not with us, but today, we are happy. He went to devil’s cathedral, to set the captives free. Father, we were sad when you were away, today, we are happy.”
A female member of the church captured their mood thus, “Last Sunday, we learnt to cry, because we never missed somebody like you before. Rev. Father Eze filled the gap and comforted the flock. Today is our second resurrection celebration. The Father is another Christ among us…..” When it was the turn of Rev Father Nwika to address members of the congregation who were already itching to hear from him, he began by asking the church to thank the God Almighty for his release. “Thank God with me because, it was not easy. I will not wish my enemy what I went through in the hands of the kidnappers.
I started a programme here with you on Monday, April 23, entitled, “Jesus the Resurrection”, and at about 2:30 a.m., I was kidnapped. And as God would have it, on Sunday evening, I was released. One thing that kept growing across my mind was, ‘I’m a priest, I am not a politician, I am not holding any position in government, that could make any one go after me. What do I have? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
“And these people came in, just like that, but I thank God that I’m alive despite what I passed through. It is an experience I cannot wish my enemy. If I had any enemy, I wouldn’t wish him that kind of experience. But I know God knows why I have to pass through that passage, that kind of mile, but at least, today, I’m a testimony. My brothers and sister, I thank God so much.But one thing people don’t know, and I would like to say it here to end this talk…”
“One thing we don’t know is that one has dedicated his life to God, and whatever thing you think you are doing to the person, you are doing it to God. And sometimes, we don’t know the kind of curse we bring to our families and generation. I recall, may be, the day I was ordained, the whole world gathered together and I lay down for some minutes, if not hours, and the whole saints of the world were called upon all of us, and we were ordained and the church said Amen; dedicating us, consecrating us to God.
“For a human being to think of kidnapping a priest, is it money that they are looking for or what? The money that I don’t have? I’m not in any position, I’m not a politician, you all see as we are in the church. And, I have to pass through all these. The curse people bring into their families will be on one generation to the other. I don’t know, sometimes, people cry here and there, saying, God! God! You don’t know, you may be inside the house and they send the same money we paid, they give you, and you use it to pay school fees and from generation to the other, the family will continue to suffer one thing or the other. It is like one deity dedicating something to another deity.
“And when you dedicate something to a deity, you will go there to do anything, that deity will act. Priests are consecrated to God, God who owns them on earth, it is like night, something pushed it out, to bring daylight, there is something behind it, which is God, even if you don’t believe in anything. For me, I don’t have anything against them, I have forgiven them because, they don’t know what they are doing.”
“And I have prayed to God to forgive them. But for those who have that tendency, it is better you change, there are no two ways about it. Yes, you can kill me, you shoot me, I die, but that is not the end of it, it has a lot of implications. That is why you don’t joke with a priest and men of God. You can do that any place, but you don’t joke with priests, people that have dedicated their lives to God. I don’t have children, I’m not married, I don’t seek for things you people are seeking for, material things. “All I’m here for is to serve you and serve God, and to continue to intercede for you, that is my mission. In Hebrew chapter five, go there, you will know the mission and work of a priest. Look at the world, it is decaying every day. These people are in the church, y-a-ah! They go to church on Sundays, they are in the church right now, some of them may be here.
Let us be careful before bringing something very terrible on the little ones that are growing up, without knowing the source or the root. People, who engage in things like this murder the peace of their families, it is a curse.”
“I pray for them, may God forgive them. I thank all of you for your fasting and prayer, praying for me to be released, it is a very terrible experience, but I thank God for everything, that I’m alive. May God be honoured, may God be worshipped, may God be praised forever and ever in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Many people were looking for me, trying to see me, but it was not possible. It was because I had to take treatment, to be well to serve you. So, thank you so much and may God bless you all in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Face-to-face with Rev Father Nwika: THE SUN broke the news of the kidnap and release of Rev.Father Nwika. And when the news of his release filtered into town, we went searching for him but efforts to locate him proved futile, as no one was willing to disclose the hospital where he was receiving treatment, after the traumatic experience he had in the hand of the bandits. The Sun reporters did not give up, we kept contacting those who could link us up with the Reverend Father. But the decision to ‘lay ambush’ for the freed priest last week (May 6, 2012), at the local church which he oversees paid off. We set out very early in the morning and narrowly missed him, as he was said to have conducted the 6a.m mass and went to another parish for the same purpose.
We were, however, comforted by the fact that he was still coming back to St Mary’s Catholic Church, otherwise known as St. Mary’s Quasi Parish for 10am mass. And he did. At the end of the mass, the priest took the reporters to the house, where he was kidnapped and conducted them round and showed them how the men from hell, gained access into his bedroom, traumatized him and before the whisked him away and carted away some of property, including flat screen TV. He later granted an interview to the reporters.
Post a Comment
EmoticonClick to see the code!
To insert emoticon you must added at least one space before the code.