Rev. Fr. (Prof) Joseph Enyinnaya, the jailed parish priest of St. Columbus Catholic Church in Amaimo, Ikeduru LGA, Imo State, has always been in the public eye for both positive and negative reasons.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
He is among the most esteemed priests in the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, to start. This is a result of his extensive scholarly background after becoming a professor.
When he was still a junior cadet at St. Peter Claver Seminary in Okpala, Imo State, on his way to becoming a priest, his path to academic success was initially identified. When he was in class four in 1987, Enyinnaya, who was then in the drama group, became the center of attention when he performed the play “The gods are not to blame” by Ola Rotimi almost by himself.
The reckless Rev Fr (Dr) Anthony Onyeocha, the seminary’s rector at the time, was so impressed by Enyinnaya’s genius that he gave him money. Enyinnaya, who had gained amazing reputation as a poster boy at the time, was appointed manager of the school canteen in the next academic year. When it came time to assign tasks to the junior seminarians, the most profitable and sought-after job, aside from cooking boys, was that of cafeteria manager.
As the manager of the school canteen, Enyinnaya truly excelled in his role. He turned the school into a mini-supermarket where kids could quickly purchase anything they needed without requesting permission to visit the adjacent Orie Okpala Market, which was previously just a place to sell bread and soft drinks. Enyinnaya’s development of the seminary canteen was a sign that either his mother or father was a prosperous trader or that he was raised by someone who operated a profitable mini-mart.
Despite his seemingly stellar record as the canteen manager, Enyinnaya was accused of utilizing the facility to satisfy the appetites of his parishioners and friends. Despite the lack of substantial proof from the professor, it was widely believed that Enyinnaya and his associates grew wealthier.
Following his ordination, Enyinnaya found more than just contentment and fulfillment in his high-ranking role as a parish priest. Although a small number of his classmates are now priests with Ph.D.s in various fields, he went on to pursue additional education and earned a Ph.D., which essentially set him apart from the majority of his peers. After some time, he was appointed rector of St. Peter Claver Seminary.
As with all of his endeavors, there were conflicting reactions to Enyinnaya’s tenure as rector at Okpala. Some people thought he performed a great job, while others maintain he was a complete failure. “I don’t see why we always seek to undermine others. When Enyinnaya was the rector of St. Peter Claver Seminary, I was a student there.
One of the math teachers was myself. I can attest that he was productive based on my observations. He helped the pupils understand the value of hard effort, particularly when it comes to treating their academics with seriousness. An anonymous commenter said, “He brought discipline back and turned the institution into a true center for the upbringing of priests.”
However, some others harshly criticized Enyinnaya. To put it simply, Fr. Enyinnaya did not do anything at Okpala. You can’t visit there to see any of the buildings he constructed. Since the majority of Okpala’s infrastructure began to deteriorate while he was rector, he never maintained the ones that were already there. “He may have been an exceptional scholar, but he never translated that talent into great leadership,” exclaimed another anonymous contributor.
After Enyinnaya left Okpala as rector, there was a purportedly burning scandal against him that was almost like a thunder bolt from the blues. It was about a lewd sex film that went viral and came from his phone contact; either he was guilty or he was conned. Enyinnaya informed his loved ones that he was being singled out by those who wished to destroy him and his priestly career. While some claim he was innocent, others insist that he was unlucky and that he may have watched sex movies, which he was unable to stop.
Together, they show both the lovely and the nasty path that led to Fr. Enyinnaya’s elevation to the position of parish priest at St. Columbus, Amaimo, Ikeduru. According to Hallmark’s inquiry, he is both being praised and depicted in a negative light at the parish.
The events that transpired at the parish on December 31, 2024, are now detailed. According to some, Enyinnaya never fired a shot at any young people who were known for hurling knockouts. To frighten them, the Rev. father fired into the air. The young people, meantime, hurried over to him and tried to take away his firearm. An innocent man who was not a part of the chaos was killed when the trigger was pulled during the ensuing brawl.
Enyinnaya was rescued from the teenagers’ pursuit by being taken to the country home of Senator Sam Anyanwu, also known as Samdaddy. On one side of the story, Enyinnaya shot and murdered one of the boys who threw the banger because she was upset about the spectacular explosions. They arrested him and held him. After confirming the story, the Imo State Police Command pledged to investigate the case further.
The Ikeduru factor, however, is the story’s other intriguing but varied viewpoint. Ikeduru is a part of the Catholic Diocese of Owerri and is located in the Owerri Zone of Imo State. It gave birth to Samdaddy Anyanwu, the Unogus, Onyearugbulem, Chief Evan Enwerem, and the late Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. These are brilliant thinkers in Nigerian politics, not just Imo.
There was a significant stigma associated with each of them. Iwuanyanwu, for example, fought too hard to escape the 1996 Owerri unrest while being accused of orchestrating Onyearugbulem’s unexpected death in a Kaduna hotel during an APP conference. None of those claims were supported by evidence.
Enwerem was impeached as Senate President because he was unable to withstand the embarrassment of a falsified certificate and the infamous charge of Evans and Evan. Samdaddy is also making a lot of effort to keep his job as the PDP’s national secretary. Following Fr. Enyinnaya’s arrest and detention for the murder of a knockout throwing youngster on December 31, 2024, there is currently ecclesiastical unrest in Ikeduru.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
