A senior seminarian of the
Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, Desmond Kelechi Ogbonna, a native of Uda village in
Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, Enugu State was beaten up mercilessly by
a group of Akatakpa (masquerade) at Umu-Ugwu Orba in Udenu Local Government of Enugu State.
This ugly incident took
place on 30th September, 2016 while the senior seminarian was returning from
St. Theresa’s Cathedral Nsukka after a choir practice by the entire Nsukka
Diocesan Seminarians.
Desmond Ogbonna who is
supposed to return to school on 5th October was seriously beaten up by the
masquerades during which his head was smashed with a big log of wood leaving
him in his pool of blood.
Narrating his ordeal to newsmen, he
bitterly said: “As I was approaching, I discovered the crowd in the front. When
I got to the spot, about 8 masquerades were standing there and 2 of them
stopped me and said I should give them some money. It was then that I told them
that I am a seminarian but before I knew what was going on, they started
raining sticks on me. Another came and asked what was the matter and I told him
that I am a seminarian coming back from a choir practice at the cathedral but
to my chagrin, he said that he is a pastor and immediately, he also joined in
beating me up.”
The seminarian narrated
that he lost consciousness when he was hit on the head and added; “When I
regained consciousness, I rushed to Obollo Afor Police Station where I alerted them
about the development.”
It was gathered that the
seminarian eventually reported the matter to his parish priest, Rev. Fr. Ugwueze Simeon who doubles as the Director of Justice
and Peace Catholic Diocese of Nsukka. Fr. Simeon hurriedly took the seminarian to the
Hospital where he received some medical treatment. As it stands now, Fr.
Ugwueze has taken the matter to the DPO of Obollo-afor who is handling the
matter.
The police on their part
have started arresting the culprits in question. Fr. Ugwueze told the Shepherd
Communications that the matter will be definitely settled in the court of Law
so that the culprits will face the wrath of law.
The big question in all
this is what do our people understand as culture? It is high time our people
started to define culture not just as a people way of life but positive way of
life. This is because what most of our people see as peoples’ way of life may
be negative. And this is very much clear in most of the cultural practices we
find around us. It is a pity and pains a lot how our people have continued to
sit on the mud. In a hard time like this when we are losing our homelands and
the things that define us as a people, our youth are preoccupied by useless
practices that gull us to nay wood.
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