FG begins offensive against Father Mbaka

In what seems like an offensive against Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, the fiery Catholic Church Priest of the Adoration Ministry, the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has frozen all of the church’s account in some of the Nigerian banks.

Reverend Father Mbaka had been very critical of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration in recent times.

President Jonathan is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in a tight election for Saturday against General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a New Year message to his church on 31 December, 2014, Mbaka described the Jonathan government as a failure and warned Nigerians against re-electing him as the country’s situation would be worse with another four years of his administration.

Though he was accused of campaigning for Buhari because he could have been compromised, Mbaka severally said he had never met Buhari or been induced, but that he was giving out a divinely-inspired message.

Recently, the church also announced threats to the life of the Reverend Father. As a result, Mbaka cancelled one of the church’s Friday night programmes.

Officials from the church say the EFCC operatives who carried out the order to freeze the church’s accounts were detailed from Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital after they asked the Priest to report at the EFCC office.

The date for his appearance was not specified.

Confirming the situation, Maximus Ugwuoke, media aide to the Reverend Father, said all the cheques issued to the banks on Thursday were returned.

“We don’t know why they decided to use EFCC operatives from Port Harcourt while the zonal headquarters is here in Enugu,” he said adding that the action could be in connection with the 31 December, 2014 message in which Fr. Mbaka criticised President Jonathan’s administration.

The EFCC however, through Wilson Uwujaren, its spokesman, denied freezing any of the church’s bank accounts.

“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been drawn to reports in a section of the media claiming that the commission had frozen the accounts of Enugu-based Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Mass fame.

“The commission wishes to state that there is no truth in the report and should be discountenanced,” a statement from the EFCC said.