Dan Opara
Heavy tragedy was averted on Saturday 8th June 2019 as a renowned Choirmaster and Organist in the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, a well-known imo Journalist with Trumpeta Newspaper, Mr.Stanley Amadi (who is popularly known in the Social Media with “Stan Stagger Nwamama”) narrowly escaped death at Christ the King Cathedral Church Aba over a singing competition organized for little children of the “Holy Childhood Association” within the ages of four to fourteen years.
Prior to the Saturday June 8th singing competition held at CKC Aba, a similar competition was held amongst participating Parishes in the Archdiocese of Owerri on the 25th of May at the Maria Assumpta Cathedral where Holy Trinity Catholic Church World Bank New Owerri (the Parish of Stanley Amadi came first and consequently became the Archdiocesan representative at the Provincial competition slatted for June 8th 2019 at Christ the King Cathedral Church Aba.
According to an eye witness account, the competition in which five dioceses in the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province Aba, Ahiara, Okigwe, Umuahai, and Owerri competed had the Owerri Archdiocese Children (ages four to fourteen years) choir emerge the winners of the competition, having out sang all other choirs.
Upon the announcement of the result a young man by name Alexander from CKC Aba Diocese stood up broke a bottle and battered the face of Mr.Stanley Amadi, the Choirmaster of Owerri Archdiocese in the Cathedral while the little children jumped on him in jubilation as their teacher and choirmaster.
He was consequently rushed to a nearby hospital in Aba unconsciously where the Doctors arrested the situation.
The matter on return was reported to the Owerri Archdiocesan Authorities including the Archbishop Anthony JV Obinna,since the 8th of June and nothing has been done so far to get the said Alexander arrested by the Catholic Diocese of Aba and Owerri respectively. Worried by this development, friends and classmates of Mr. Stanley Amadi are demanding that Justice should be done by bringing the said Alexander to book for stabbing someone with a bottle inside the Church.
More worrisome remains the fact the the Cathedral Administrator of Aba Diocese Very Rev. Fr.Innocent Ajonu, have not even considered contacting Mr.Stanley Amadi,let alone even to ask how he has been footing the bills of his medicals.
Worried by the insensitivity of the Church, one of the classmates from the Christ the King College,CKC, Obike Old boys Association who spoke to us asked how on earth can someone who has charge over little children cannot not teach them the ethos of sportsmanship, adding that such a dare devil should not be seen around the church let alone little children. What is he teaching the children? To fight whenever they lose a competition? He also informed us that two years ago in a similar competition the Aba Diocese came to Owerri at the Maria Assumpta Cathedral and took first and nobody was attacked, why then would someone be attacked simply because he came to CKC Aba Cathedral and took first, the young man wondered.
Furthermore, his classmates of CKC Obike are asking that both the Archdiocese of Owerri and the Diocese of Aba have 72 hours to provide that alleged culprit “Mr.Alexander” and that the letters of the law should take its cause to the letter to serve as a deterrent because in future anyone can come into the house of God and kill someone and go scot free since the Mr.Alexander has be going about without being arrested by the securities of the CKC Aba Cathedral where the incident happened.
The classmates added that they came to the press simply because they had given the Church enough time to do the needful and reasonable thing.