A Catholic priest in the Diocese of Awka, Rev. Fr. Jude Muokwe, has physically assaulted and brutalised a 50-year-old female teacher (widow), Mrs. Ikeorah Maureen, following an alleged meeting with other staff members of the school.
According to reports, the priest used a whip to flog the widow, leaving her with multiple injuries.
A video making the rounds on the internet shows Mrs. Ikeorah, a primary school teacher, in tears as she displays the wounds inflicted on her by the cleric.
The victim, who hails from Ifitedunu community in Dunukofia Local Government Area, is a staff member at Angel Primary School, Ifitedunu—a school reportedly owned and managed by the Catholic mission.
Though the exact reason for the assault remains unclear, some reports have it that the cleric brutalised the widow for asking for a salary increment.
However, another version of the reports has it that the priest assaulted and brutalised the woman for demanding lesson fees.
But in the video making the rounds, the victim said the priest assaulted her for allegedly holding a meeting with other staff of the school, an allegation she denied.
Speaking in Igbo while crying profusely in the viral video, the woman said, “He dragged me out and used a cane and flogged me all over my body. He was beating me and slapping me.”
Asked why he assaulted her, she said, “Nothing. He came and said I was holding a meeting with other teachers, meanwhile, I did not call any meeting and he was beating me and slapping me.”
“Look at face, all over my back and all my legs,” she said, showing the injuries inflicted on her by the priest.
However, the priest, Fr. Muokwe who did not deny the allegation has refused to speak on the matter.
SaharaReporters observed that he has consistently provided a uniform response to all journalists who reached out for a comment.
“I cannot speak to you. I can’t speak, especially to someone I do not know, about this matter,” he told journalists in the state who called him on the phone.
The incident has sparked public outcry, with many calling for an investigation into the priest’s actions and justice for the assaulted widow.
