The Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki has come out with a statement detailing how and why Rev. Fr. Timothy Ngwuta was arrested by men of the Ebonyi State Police Command I’m March 2022. In a statement signed by Rev. Fr. Uzoma Opoke, Chancellor, of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki dated 24th April, 2022, it asserted that Rev. Fr Ngwuta was arrested on 11th December, 2021 by the Police at Mbeke, Ishieke, Ebonyi Local Government Area of the State where he went to help a friend, Jude Ariom, retrieve a broken down Toyota Sienna vehicle.. He was said to have obtained a clearance from the police to take the vehicle but things turned awry when some members of the local vigilante arrived and apprehended them. They were subsequently arrested by the same Police that gave them clearance. He was detained for about 12 days and was released afterwards.
On March 8, 2022 he was rearrested and arraigned in court three days after on charges of kidnapping and murder of the Five NELAN engineers and some Police officers who have been declared missing months ago. The statement claimed that it was worrisome thayhe Fr. Ngwuta who went to help a friend retrieve his car could be charged with such heinous crimes. The statement wondered how Rev. Fr could have been shielding the owner of the said vehicle since his identity and other contacts are known to the Police. The statement further claimed that Fr. Ngwuta’s offence was that he hailed from Ezza Effium, an area involved in inter communal conflict with Effum Ezza Effium and that all efforts to secure his bail through the law court have been stalled by Executive interference.
While urging the security agencies to conduct thorough investigation to unravel the truth, the Diocese claimed that Fr. Ngwuta was innocent of the allegations levelled against him and appealed to members of the public to intervene to save the priest.
There have been no reactions yet from Ebonyi State Government and State Police Command on the statement. Meanwhile, Rev Fr. Ngwuta has been remanded in prison custody.
The disappearance of the 5 NELAN engineers have been controversial since months ago and several theories were postulated about the incident. Some people who claimed to be privy to some unresolved issues between the consulting company and the State Government pointed accusing fingers towards the direction of its officials which had been refuted, while some alluded to the inter-communal conflict in the area positing that they may have been caught in the cross-fire.
Members of the family of the engineers were quoted as having said that they had made several trips to the State to find out the whereabouts of their loved ones but, no official statement had come out either from the police or the Government. The mystery behind their disappearance is yet to be unravelled.
Source: Drumnewsonline
