Ejike Mbaka, a controversial Roman Catholic priest and the spiritual director of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, has described his legal victory over Union Bank Plc as divine.
An Enugu State High Court had while delivering judgement between the cleric and Union Bank in suit no E/56/10, awarded the sum of N5.5 billion in Reverend Father Mbaka’s favour.
Reacting to the verdict on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, the fiery cleric described it as “divine and miraculous.”
Mbaka, who spoke through a statement jointly signed by his media aide, Ike Maximus Ugwuoke, and one of his counsels, F. C. Okeke, urged the bank to expedite action in paying the judgement debt.
“With boundless joy, we glorify the name of God for the miraculous legal victory He granted to Adoration Ministry Enugu, Nigeria over the case filed against the Spiritual Director of the Ministry, Rev Fr Ejike Camilus Mbaka and two others by Union Bank of Nigeria plc,” the statement said.
“The case filed in suit no E/56/10 has been pending before the Enugu State High Court for about seven years until judgment was delivered therein on Thursday the 9th of February 2017 by Hon Justice A.R. Ozoemena of the Enugu State High Court who presided over the case.
“The erudite judgment of the Honourable Court declined virtually all the contumacious claims of the Bank against our Spiritual Director declaring them as “fraudulent” but went ahead to order the Bank in his counter claim against the Bank to pay him the sum of N5.5 billion Naira for damages and inconveniences.
“It is noteworthy to observe the fact that the Honourable Court in the said judgment considered among other things the fact that Union Bank had defended our Spiritual Director in a separate earlier suit filed against the Bank by a Chinese Company at the Lagos State High Court in suit No LD/1313/10 wherein in the Bank’s counter affidavit, the Bank had deposed that Rev Fr Mbaka is not indebted to the Chinese Company.
“One can’t help wondering as pointed out by the Honourable Court that the same Bank who had defended the cause of our Spiritual Director should do 360 degrees somersault to make the same demand from our spiritual Director.
“We join all the less privileged , the orphans, the widows and indeed all worshippers of the ministry under the flock of our Spiritual Director to urge the Bank not to hesitate in complying with the Court judgment especially now that the ministry has enormous charitable works and projects that are financial-demanding.
“We assert that this judgment has once more reaffirmed and reassured our confidence in the Court as the last hope of a common man.
“The Court judgment is indeed another demonstration of the victorious hand of God upon the Ministry and our Spiritual Director much as it renews and rekindled our faith and trust in God that with Him indeed, all things are possible and one with Him is majority.
“We express our sincere gratitude to all the worshippers of the ministry all over the world who stood in solidarity, steadfastness, prayers and fasting for the Ministry and the Spiritual Director right from the days of the Bank’s cheap blackmail against the ministry to this movement of divine exoneration.
“Their good works were never in vain as it all culminated to this legal victory and divine vindication we celebrate today,” the statement ended.
