A Catholic priest in the Diocese of Awka, the capital of Anambra State, Rev. Fr. Jude Muokwe, has been accused of physically assaulting and brutalising a 50-year-old female teacher and widow, Ikeorah Maureen, for reportedly asking for a salary increment.
It was gathered that the Catholic priest used a whip to flog Ikeorah, a primary school teacher, leaving her with multiple injuries.
A video making the rounds on the internet showed Ikeorah, a widow, 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 of Anambra State, is a staff member at Angel Primary School in Ifitedunu – a school reportedly owned and managed by the Catholic mission.
Though the exact reason for the assault remains unclear, some reports claimed that the cleric brutalised the widow for asking for a salary increment.
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Another version of the reports said the Catholic priest assaulted and brutalised the woman for demanding lesson fees.
Speaking in the viral video, the woman said the priest assaulted her for allegedly holding a meeting with other staff of the school, an allegation she denied.
“He (cleric) dragged me out and used a cane and flogged me all over my body. He was beating me and slapping me,” Ikeorah said.
Asked why the priest assaulted her, the woman 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 my face, all over my back and all my legs.”
However, the Catholic priest, who did not deny the allegation, has refused to speak on the matter.
”I cannot speak to you. I can’t speak, especially to someone I do not know, about this matter,” he told journalists in Anambra State who called him on the phone.
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