The Indigenous People of Biafra on Thursday attacked Catholic priest and founder of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, for suggesting that the agitation for Biafra should be led by
The leaders of most of the pro-Biafra groups, including IPOB and the Movement for Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, are young men.
Also, majority of the activists who have been taking to the streets in pro-Biafra protests are youth.
In a video clip from a recent sermon, which was posted online, Mbaka reportedly said youths should not be leading the struggle, as is the case at the moment.
The cleric noted that the agitation for Biafra would be more effective if prominent Igbo personalities are at the forefront of the struggle.
But Mbaka’s comments did not go down well with IPOB.
In a statement made available to our correspondent in Enugu, IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, said the secessionist group condemned Mbaka’s statements.
Apparently due to Mbaka’s perceived support for President Muhammadu Buhari, IPOB referred to him in the statement as ‘Usman Mbaka’.
“The indigenous People of Biafra and its leadership worldwide condemn the statement credited to Rev. Ejike Mbaka.
“From what Usman Mbaka said in his video about IPOB, you would have thought that the same Jesus he worships, sells olive oil and pure water in his name, was 1000 years old when he started his ministry that changed the course of human history,” the statement said.
IPOB said it was wrong for the cleric to associate leadership with age.
Drawing on several Biblical examples, the group insisted that God can raise young persons to leadership positions.
The statement added, “The same Bible Mbaka is supposedly reading everyday is replete with instances where God raised children, from Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Samson, Jephthah etc, to do His will in the lives of his children.
“Why didn’t God use Reuben who was the eldest son of Jacob instead of Joseph who is second to the last? Why did God choose baby Moses, even as he was in a basket, to lead his people out of Egypt instead of Moses’ father or another elder from the Hebrew community in Goshen, Egypt?
PUNCH
