Did we get the Methodist Prelate’s message?

The Prelate of the Methodist Church, Nigeria, His Eminence, the Right Reverend Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu-Uche, is not a small fry. The top cleric is graciously looking forward to his retirement and, like every normal senior citizen, he would want to peacefully retire and enjoy his rest after labouring (as an active cleric) for decades. He is high up there because he leads a strong institution. Also, when he turned 65 in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari was represented at the celebration of the birthday by Pastor Usani Uguru Usani who was the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was also represented at the event by the Chaplain of the Aso Rock Villa Chapel, Pastor Seyi Malomo. Six governors from across the country, including Mallam Nasir El-Rufai were also represented at the birthday party. That birthday in 2018 was a statement in many dimensions as 2019 was in focus. The Right Reverend Uche is in the news again. Interestingly, this is mid-2022, when 2023 elections are the issue.

The Prelate had a different kind of audience after he was released by his kidnappers with whom he spent 24 hours recently. This time, the president and his vice were not in the audience. There were no governors and a revelling crowd. The gathering this time was made up of co-clerics and family members who came to give thanks for his safe return. Then, there were journalists. The Prelate had called the newsmen to tell the story of his kidnapping and to own his situation. He didn’t want the tale of his abduction twisted and also didn’t want to be responding or reacting in frustrating catch-ups. He put in these words: “I want the press to know what actually happened so that people will not come and tell you cock and bull story. For instance, a government said they secured my release. I never saw the government that said they secured my release.”

Uche said what many usually fear to say in similar circumstances. He was not afraid to speak and reveal it all after he was freed by his kidnappers. What he did is unlike what is commonly known among highly-placed kidnapped victims. He revealed how much ransom was paid for his freedom and that of the two other clerics with him. This kind of freedom is obviously second to his salvation in Christ, inferior to the freedom he has received by being in Him; but humanly speaking and on the spur, it was also more urgent at that moment. After being human, we can resort to our salvation in Christ. It seemed so because there was the need for immediate action by all and sundry to ensure that Prelate Uche, a husband, father, mentor, leader, spiritual guide and shepherd of millions of believers, returned safely and in good time. The longer he stayed on the cold, damp floor, the shorter his chances of surviving the ordeal.

His life and those of the two others kidnapped along with him were at grave risk. They were in the grip of unfeeling beasts. He was a Daniel in the den of vicious lions – at the mercy of God. The Right Reverend Samuel Uche could be the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria but he, the Methodist Bishop of Owerri and the other cleric in the kidnappers’ den were nothing in the eyes of their abasing abductors. They could be slaughtered at the snap of a finger. Thankfully, the Methodist Church Nigeria rallied and promptly did the bidding of the mindless criminals. They gathered N100million in cash and handed it to the kidnappers! Shame on money! And the shame is dwelling on the Naira, the symbol of our economic independence. Our father in the Lord is back home safely. The injury to his right eye now stands as a regrettable monument to the unfortunate experience. He spoke at length regardless of the discomfort from the injured eye. His speech was a case of: When you are termed as being blind, you should be blind indeed!

Reverend Uche called names and pointed fingers. He mentioned institutions and accused people. He said the Nigerian Army had been infiltrated by bad people; that the Nigeria Police Force is helpless in the security situation and that the other security agencies are now a farce. He fingered Customs, Immigration. “Who are the security officers? Who are the people that are in Immigration? Who are the people that are in Customs? They are responsible for what is happening and they have an agenda which will fail.” He also said: “I accuse the soldiers who are non-Christians, some of them are Fulani. They are part of it. They are shielding these men. When our people wanted to comb the bush the soldiers said ‘if you move a step, we finish you. Don’t go there!’ They know where the boys are. They know the location and what they do is that in the day time they use their cow to confuse people.

Government should act decisively o. They should act decisively. Otherwise, what is happening in the northern part of the country will be a child’s play to what will happen here.”

What the Prelate said isn’t new. What he said has always been said. What we heard sounded heavier only because of who said it. Some have argued that the revelations of the Prelate are not good enough for the country. They said he was ridiculing the Nigerian Army in addition to endangering the clergy in Nigeria. “He should have simply said ‘yes, ransom was paid’ and leave it at that.” But Reverend Uche had his reasons and his audience.

The Nigerian Army was so quick to react to him though. It was way quicker than what many considered as normal. In terms of who Nigerians would believe, the answer is blowing in the wind. The Army said it did not receive any kind of formal report of the incident, that neither the Prelate nor the Church made any report and did not take the Army into confidence during the negotiation for the release of the cleric and the payment of the ransom. The Army is saying since you didn’t involve us while in your ordeal, why point fingers at us in its aftermath? However, the Prelate related what he saw, he reported what he heard and narrated his experience. Was the Army the one told all that the allegedly flippant Fulani man said? Were they the ones that slept in the cold, damp floor of the kidnappers’ den? Did they see what he saw?

“What pains me most” Uche said, “is that these people told us that after buying enough weapons, they are going to bring all those that have been put in disarray or driven away from Zamfara, Katsina, Sambisa Forest, that they are all coming to locate themselves in Igboland, that there is no security in Igboland; that they will come there and they will deal with us. The young man was just flippant, maybe he took something. He said do you  know Ibadan, Ibadan – Lagos expressway? We are in all the bush there o. We are everywhere. We are also in the South South. So we are waiting for the slightest signal, we will finish you people and take over this land.”

So, with Owo, do the cleric’s fears and message now make sense? Let’s assume that we have forgotten Igangan and other Ibarapa/Oke Ogun towns in Oyo State; Eha Amufu and Nsukka in Enugu State; Ngbo and Obeagu, in Ebonyi State. How much longer shall we wait for a concrete step towards ensuring internal security?

But the Army gave a heartwarming assurance. Army spokesperson, General Onyemachi Nwachukwu, said “Given our professional disposition and zero tolerance for any misconduct in the Nigerian Army, we will take this weighty allegation seriously and approach the Prelate and Methodist Church to unravel the basis for the allegation». Then this is also important: «Whether you are a Christian or a Moslem or animist, be a leader. Be a leader like Nelson Mandela. A good leader is what we need because what has killed this country is tribalism, ethnicity, religious bigotry, nepotism, injustice. No matter your religion, be a leader that is fair to all. That settles everything.”

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