Police to prosecute man for allegedly assaulting Catholic priest in Ebonyi, says PPRO

By Chukwuemeka Opara —

#TrackNigeria: The Police Command in Ebonyi said Thursday it has arrested the man, who allegedly assaulted a Catholic priest, Rev.-Fr. Mathew Orie, at the Abakaliki Rice Mill on Monday.
ASP Loveth Odah, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), confirmed the arrest to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), saying that the suspect, identified simply as Pius, would be arraigned at the end of the ongoing investigations.
Odah said that the suspect was presently in police custody and assisting the command in its investigations.
She said that the man was arrested after escaping from the scene of the assault.
“Investigations reveal that the suspect claimed to be a member of a task force which collects toll from rice buyers,” she said.
She further said that the suspect allegedly confronted the priest to pay another toll after he (priest) had explained to him that he had paid the stipulated toll.
“The suspect allegedly insisted even after getting clarifications from the operators of the mill that the priest had actually paid.
“He was said to have hit the priest on the head, causing him to lose consciousness. “Fortunately, he was said to have been resuscitated in a hospital and is presently alright,” the PPRO said.
She assured members of the public, especially the Cstholic faithful in the state, that the command would carry out a thorough investigation on the matter.
“The command will thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure due prosecution of the suspect,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chief Moses Nome, the Ebonyi Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, has condemned the alleged action of the suspect.
According to Nome, the state government does not have a task force operating at the rice mill.
“The incident was very unfortunate,” he said, adding that fund generated at the mill does not get into government’s coffers.
He said that government fixed tariffs for the contractors, who operated the mills, independently.
“Anybody who operates at the mill in the government’s name is a thief and we are not connected with the incident or the running of the mill.”
The commissioner further said that government would also carry out its investigation on the matter.
He said that government enjoyed the support of the Christian Association of Nigeria and, as a responsible government, would not inflict harm on any priest or resident in the state.
“We believe in the biblical injunction which says, “touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm,” Nome said. (NAN)