Arms Found At Catholic Priest’s Residence

A Catholic priest in Imo State is being investigated
by the police in the state over unlawful possession of
firearms. The priest, said to be in-charge of one of the
prominent Parishes in Dikenafai, Ideato South Local
Government area, Imo State, was arrested for
allegedly being in possession of three unlicensed
guns with which he allegedly threatened the lives of
his parishioners.
The guns which include one pump action riffle, one
double-barrelled gun and a locally-made pistol
allegedly belonging to the priest were recovered from
his official residence by operatives of Special Armed
Robbery Squad, SARS, Imo State Police Command
acting on a tip off from concerned parishioners.
The reverend father was arrested and detained
briefly but granted bail by the police following the
intervention of some influential religious and political
leaders in the state.
The controversy surrounding the catholic priest,
according to a police source, stemmed from a
tragedy that occurred in January 2010, after the
death of a prominent indigene of the area. The
resident priest was said to have raised issues over
the burial ceremony which inflamed the natives and
they had to lodge formal complaints to the Bishop of
the area over the way the priest was allegedly calling
people names while conducting services.
The source told Vanguard that the matter became
worse after armed robbers reportedly attacked the
priest in his official residence and he openly accused
some prominent citizens of the area of
masterminding the robbery.
Following his open accusation, some of them to write
a petition to the Commissioner of Police in Imo State,
accusing the priest of threatening their lives with
dangerous weapons. The Police boss acted on the
petition and sent detectives from the Special Anti-
Robbery Squad, SARS, to the residence of the priest
where some weapons were allegedly recovered.
Investigation into the case is ongoing by the police to
ascertain the source of the guns found at the
residence of the controversial priest, and possibly
what they are being used for.
Oodera