Ohakim Unleashes Blackmail Campaign On Assaulted Roman Catholic Reverend Father, Charging Him Of Infidelity

The unfolding quagmire within the administrative offices of the Ohakim administration spells of a latent potency of an unremorseful administrator. The outrage in the streets of Owerri and in the religious quarters tells a tale of an impending volatility. This is as the Ohakim administration have turned its focus on the continued dehumanization of the Roman Catholic Reverend Father, Eustace Okorie, as its adopted strategy to rescue itself from the shark infested waters which it currently find itself. Ukpakareports.com has it on good authority that Gov. Ikedi Ohakim gave directives to his media handlers to tarnish the name of the assaulted Reverend Father using the State owned television and radio outfits.

Available information indicates that on August 8th 2010, when the said incident occurred, the assaulted Reverend Father was in the company of a female by the name Nkeiru who he was offering a lift. Nkeiru was said to have flagged the Reverend Father down for a lift and that the Reverend Father stopped and picked her up because it was drizzling. The Reverend Father, according to reports, was headed for mass and Nkeiru is said to be gainfully employed in Umuahia, Abia. The Reverend Father was dressed in his full regalia of a Roman Catholic priest.

As the incident was unfolding and as Ohakim's security boys pounced on the Reverend Father, Nkeiru immediately left the scene and disappeared but left her handbag [containing her personal belongings] in the Reverend Father's car. And the Reverend Father was arrested and taken to detention center where he was assaulted and forced to make a statement. His statement mentioned that he was in the company of a lady whom he had offered a lift – of which the overzealous security men concurred that they had found a handbag belonging to a female in the Reverend Father's car. The handbag was searched and the details of the female contained in the handbag were used to locate her. She was brought in to make a statement.

However, an interesting twist occurred in the Nkeiru's interrogation by the security men. Her first and second statements were discarded, according to a source within the Police Force. Using the fear of possible detention, Nkeiru was influenced into contradicting the Revered Father's statement to the police. In particular, the police wanted her to say that the Reverend Father had blocked the Governor's convoy and that she was having a romantic affair with the Reverend Father. Nkeiru refused. Out of fear, in her third trial at drafting a statement, she wrote that the Reverend Father was knowingly obstructing the way on the governor's convoy.

Armed with Nkeiru's statement, the Ohakim security boys to action, firstly they demanded an apology letter be written to the security apparatus of the governor before the seized/impounded car belonging to the Reverend Father be released. But unknowing to the Ohakim security boys, Gov Ikedi Ohakim had secretly tendered an apology to the Catholic Arch Bishop of Owerri, Arch Bishop Obinna.

But the apology which was welcomed by the Arch Bishop Obinna as he disclosed to ukpakareports.com previously has been tossed out the window following the new campaign of calumny launched by the Ohakim media handlers against the assaulted Priest.

With the Governor's directive, the Commissioner of Information, Hon. Kelechi Oparaeke took to the airwaves with an official press release from the State Government on Thursday August 19th 2010. In the press release that was aired on the State owned media houses, the commissioner accused the Reverend Father of having picked up the female hitchhiker [Nkeiru] for a romantic rendezvous at a nearby hotel. This was broadcasted throughout the entire day at 30 minutes intervals. And it continued the next day with another press release signed by a media assistant to the Governor. The press release emphasized that the Roman Catholic Priest was knowingly blocking the convoy's way.

When ukpakareports.com contacted the Chief Press Secretary [CPS], Henry Ekpe, he denied the broadcast. His words, “there was no broadcast instead a Newspaper published a picture of a lady with the Reverend Father when the incident took place. However, the matter has been resolved”. When pressed further, he continued to add, “I have been in Abuja since Monday and did not issue any release till now”. The Arch Bishop of Owerri, Obinna also confirmed to ukpakareports.com that the lady had been in the company of the Reverend Father. Arch Bishop Obinna revealed also that the Catholic Church media organ has interviewed the lady. In the Arch Bishop's words, “The formal statement of the lady will soon be issued in our official organ 'The Leader' which interviewed her”.