Outspoken Catholic priest, Ejike Mbaka, has warned his fellow Catholic priests to stop attacking him for praying for Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Mr Mbaka, the spiritual director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, gave the warning during his usual cross over night service, Saturday, in Enugu.

He said other priests were at liberty to curse the IPOB leader when he (Mbaka) blesses him, insisting that nobody owns his mouth.

Mr Mbaka asked the Catholic priests who attack him for blessing Kanu not to create what he termed, “an unimaginable anti-clericalism,” predicting that the “lay people will soon begin to insult and attack them”.

“I am begging my fellow (reverend) fathers. Please, I don’t own anybody’s mouth and nobody owns mine. If I bless Nnamdi Kanu, if you want to curse him, curse him. (But) allow me to bless him. I see him (Kanu) as my son. All Igbos are my children. You may not understand the spiritual authority I have on this land,” Mr Mbaka said.

Mr Mbaka prayed for God to show mercy to the detained IPOB leader and others in detention.

He said if the church can pray for Nigeria in distress, nobody can stop him from praying for the secessionist leader whom he described as “our brother that is in distress”.

“We raise our hands for our brother, Kanu, and others in detention, in silence of love.

“We ask God to show him mercy. Nnamdi Kanu was captured this year (2021). I am handing over his condition to the hand of the Almighty.

“May God bless our brother, Nnamdi Kanu. And may the coming year be for him, a year of favour.

“It shall be well with Nnamdi Kanu wherever he is,” he said.

The IPOB leader is detained in Abuja where he is standing trial for alleged treason.

The Nigerian government has designated IPOB as a terrorist organisation and accused the group of carrying out attacks on public officials and facilities.

Dozens of security personnel have been killed in South-east Nigeria by suspected members of IPOB and its militant arm, ESN.