From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Diocese of Nnewi Anglican Communion, has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to ensure professionalism in investigating Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme who it is investigating over her alleged forgery of JAMB result.
The Diocese also cautioned JAMB, Anambra State Government which has set up investigation panel on the matter and any other concerned authorities in the controversy to ensure that they did not take any action that will jeopardise the school girls future or traumatize her until DSS completes its investigation.
The Church expressed concern that it had started to hear comments that were intimidating and vilifying against the school girl, just as some media reports were suggesting through their stories that the girl was owning up faking her result, saying that the Diocese had made it categorically clear that the matter was between DSS, JAMB, Anambra State government the principal of the school and the girl.
Addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Nnewi on behalf of the Bishop, Diocese of Nnewi, Rt. Rev. Ndubuisi Obi, who is out of the country, the Synond Secretary of the Diocese, Venerable Godfrey Mortunanya, surrounded by the Diocesan Education Secretary, Ven Henry Nduka, and Administrative Secretary of the Diocese, Venerable Nonso Arinze, said that the matter was not directly that of the Diocese, but because of the fact that it concerned a student of one of the schools retuned to the Diocese and the fact that it was a church and must stand on the truth at all times, the Diocese reacted on it.
“Anglican Church is an ordered communion, anything we do, we do it in order and we are doing this on behalf of the Bishop, we are stakeholder in that school and we are committed to issues of education in the state and as a Diocese we are giving education the attention it deserve. Whether the girl is a Christian or Muslim, all we want is the truth of what happened, we are not fighting anybody, we want truth to prevail.
“The matter is not that of the Diocese but we are interested because we are a church and we must stand by the truth, we don’t want a case one will feel unnecessarily humiliated for no justifiable reason.
“Presently DSS is on the matter investigating it, so we will not speak much on it, we have to allow them to finish their investigation and we urge them to be professional in their investigation and ensure that they did not expose the school girl to unnecessary vilification or condition that will traumatize her and her family. She is our student we will not abandon her and her family, we are not fighting on religious ground we are concerned because the school is one of the schools that were returned to us.
“We must stand behind the family, we don’t want a case where somebody will be dehumanized, this matter has led to some people making insinuations against the girl and JAMB, we are urging DSS and the state government to conduct proper and through investigation on the matter so that the truth will prevail. We want to know who between the girl and JAMB, is saying the truth. Whatever comes out of the DSS investigations on the matter, it is then that we will make comprehensive comment on the matter, ” Ven Motunanya said.
Asked if it is true that the Diocese has taken a legal action against JAMB on behalf of the girl, the Diocese said it had not taken any legal action but was aware that some individuals from the Diocese, Nnewi and even human rights groups in the country were taking steps towards taking such legal actions.