‘You are a fraud’, Mamfe Christian responds Priest who resigned, citing Church politics

“It was with great happiness that some of us catholic Christians received the news that you have resigned from the priesthood…”

A lay Christian of the Catholic parish of Banya has made stunning revelations about the resignation and ‘hypocrisy’ of their former Priest. He lambasted Father Kennedy Akwo Ndu resigned from priesthood on July 1, 2023.

In a three-paged epistle, obtained by CNA, Geoffrey Ayuk Akoachere, Christian of Mamfe Diocese, said Christians of Banya parish were elated to hear that the father had dropped his robes “Christians of that parish were very happy when you ran away and left them in peace. Mr. Kennedy, all that you are talking about is politics, power, and money are the things you were looking for in the priesthood, and when you did not get it, you decided to escape and now you think that you can get up and confused the world and hide your atrocities? Can the church not clarify the world about this devil called Kennedy whom Satan is now using to cause confusion?”, he said.

According to Ayuk, the former Priest was a fraud who convinced and bought a property meant for his brother-in-law, “You ran away from Mamfe because you were afraid that you would be arrested after frauding your own brother In-law and taking over his house behind the Mamfe Market. Your In-law took you to go and show you a house he wanted to buy and because you liked the house, you came behind and bought the house which your in-law had started paying for. You claimed that it was your junior brother abroad who was buying the house. Mr. Kennedy are you not ashamed? This matter became a big scandal in Mamfe because you stole the money from the parish. Mr. Kennedy, come back to Mamfe and see if your own in-law will not get you arrested.”

He also alleged that Kennedy Akwo was living with a girlfriend in his home, contrary to priesthood laws, “you were living with a girl in the Parish house as your wife. You brought that girl and her whole family and lodged them in rented apartments in Banya and she spent most of her time with you in the parish house. All your Christians were scandalized by your behavior and the Parish council came many times to advise you and you would not listen. Is it now the priests to advise Christians or Christians to advise the priest? Many people stopped coming to your church and even stopped receiving communion from your hands. You got very frustrated and the only way out for you was to escape. This was not the only case but Mr. Kennedy you know what you were doing with women in Banya and Mamfe in general.”

Mr. Ayuk also alleges that the former Priest was rich, off the hands of Christians. He had three cars and used to carry women to Nigeria, he added.

He suggested that to avoid such scenarios in the future, “bishops should tighten the rules in the seminary and be very strict to select the boys from the Seminary who qualify to be priests. The white Missionary priests who came from developed countries and good homes humbled themselves and trekked through the forests to bring Christianity to us. They lived poorer than us. But now, many of our own black priests who come from very poor backgrounds want to live like whites and care only about themselves.”