Humanists welcome a public warning by the catholic archdiocese of Onitsha against the ‘dangerous’ activities and toxic teachings of Rev Fr Magnus Ebere. A statement signed by the archbishop of Onitsha, Rev Valerian Okeke, described Fr Ebere as a priest of a religious congregation called Society of Divine, who deceitfully sneaked into Nnobi town in Onitsha archdiocese and started “an illegal ministry which he called Cannanland Adoration Ministries(E-dey Work Ministry) without the knowledge of the ecclesiastical authority” and requisite faculties.
Rev Fr Magnus Ebere
The archbishop asked the public not to embrace the “erroneous teachings” and dangerous activities of Fr Ebere. He dissociated the catholic church from the recent utterances of the priest that “Igbo are for dominion anywhere they are”. The archbishop describes the utterances of Fr Ebere as “an outburst by a psychotic priest who needs psychological help”.
Humanists commend the archdiocese of Onitsha for calling out the treacherous and mischievous ministry of Fr E-dey Work. Fr Ebere operates his illegal ministry not only in Onitsha archdioceses but also in Mbaise in Owerri Archdiocese. Fr E-dey Work is notorious for using his illicit ministry to deceive, exploit and extort money from the gullible people in the area.
It is important for the catholic church and state authorities in Nigeria to know that Fr. Ebere is not alone in the business of operating illegal ministries and propagating erroneous and deceitful doctrines. Other ‘psychotic’ priests abound within the catholic church in southern Nigeria and continue to operate with impunity. They indulge in poisoning family and community relationships, using fake prophecies, imputation of witchcraft possession, and exorcism of imaginary demons. They use their bogus ministries to fleece the desperate unsuspecting believing folks. Humanists urge the catholic church and government of Nigeria to take measures to check the operations of these misguided priests and their dubious ministries.
Leo Igwe (born July 26, 1970) is a Nigerian human rights advocate and humanist. Igwe is a former Western and Southern African representative of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and has specialized in campaigning against and documenting the impacts of child witchcraft accusations. He holds a Ph.D from the Bayreuth International School of African Studies at the University of Bayreuth in Germany, having earned a graduate degree in Philosophy from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. Igwe’s human rights advocacy has brought him into conflict with high-profile witchcraft believers, such as Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, because of his criticism of what he describes as their role in the violence and child abandonment that sometimes result from accusations of witchcraft. His human rights fieldwork has led to his arrest on several occasions in Nigeria. Igwe has held leadership roles in the Nigerian Humanist Movement, Atheist Alliance International, and the Center For Inquiry—Nigeria. In 2012, Igwe was appointed as a Research Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation, where he continues working toward the goal of responding to what he sees as the deleterious effects of superstition, advancing skepticism throughout Africa and around the world. In 2014, Igwe was chosen as a laureate of the International Academy of Humanism and in 2017 received the Distinguished Services to Humanism Award from the International Humanist and Ethical Union.
Igwe was raised in southeastern Nigeria, and describes his household as being strictly Catholic in the midst of a “highly superstitious community,” according to an interview in the Gold Coast Bulletin.[1] At age twelve, Igwe entered the seminary, beginning to study for the Catholic priesthood, but later was confused by conflicting beliefs between Christian theology and the beliefs in witches and wizards that are “entrenched in Nigerian society.”[1] After a period of research and internal conflict due to doubts about the “odd blend of tribalism and fundamentalist Christianity he believes is stunting African development,” a 24-year-old Igwe resigned from the seminary and relocated to Ibadan, Nigeria
