Faith
El-Zakzaky, Wife Arrive India, Begin Treatment

Leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat have arrived in India for their medical treatment. They were received by medical doctors and wheeled into Medanta Hospital, New Delhi upon arrival yesterday.
This was as an Indian-based Muslim group, Anjuman e-Haideri, has said it will bear all medical costs incurred El-Zakzaky and his wife.
Zeenah, were on Monday flown out on medical leave to India where they are expected to undergo treatment for multiple health conditions.
However, Anjuman e-Haideri Islamic group, in a letter signed by its General Secretary, Mr. Bahadur Naqvi, and addressed to the Managing Director and Chief Surgeon of Medanta Hospital, Dr. Naresh Trehan, offered to foot all the medical costs incurred by the El-Zakzakys in India.It was gathered that before their departure to India, President Muhammadu Buhari had waved those conditions and approved that the IMN leader should proceed to get the medical attention as granted by the court and based on the advice from intelligence services.
The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Department of State Security Service (DSS) who had been working behind the scene to resolve the impasse occasioned by the detention of Shiite leader have advised the presidency on the appropriateness of obeying the court orders since some foreign interests including the Iranian government have sought a diplomatic approach in managing the issue.
On Monday allowed a 10-man delegation accompanied El-Zakzaky and his wife to India on medical trip.
The delegation is made up of four IMN (Shiites) leaders and six security operatives. The IMN also spoke on El-Zakzaky’s trip.
An IMN member gave the names of its leader’s family members on the trip as Zainab and Hassan Bala. The name of the accompanying doctor was given simply as Rahamat. But the security operatives were not identified.
They flew out of the country on Emirates Commercial airliner, via the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to India. The IMN leader and his wife are to receive medical attention for undisclosed health challenge.
Daily Asset gathered that the government opted for delegates from both sides to “ensure a transparent medical procedure.”
A top source said: “The government decided to allow four leaders/ members of the Shiites to follow El-Zakzaky to demonstrate its commitment to a fair and transparent medical procedure.
“The government did not want to leave any gap for misrepresentation of the medical treatment. All these delegates will be part of the process.
“The government felt there was need to build confidence between the two sides. This is a sensitive trip.”
It was also learnt that the Federal Government “mitigated the legal course, especially the conditions attached to the trip” based on security reports and to show good faith.
The source added: “The conditions set by the court were acceptable to both parties and the Federal Government deliberately mitigated further legal hurdles at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court to show good faith.
“Security reports also indicated that there was no basis for dragging the legal issues on the conditions
It said the wife could only make it to the airport on a wheelchair.
The IMN gave the details in a statement by the Chairman, Free Zakzaky Campaign Committee, Abdurrahman Abubakar Yola.
The statement said: “The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife have at last just left Nigeria for India alongside some family members and security operatives.
“This followed the granting of the couple’s application for leave to seek medical attention in New Delhi, India last week by Justice Darius Khobo of Kaduna State High Court.
“In spite of the attempted efforts at frustrating this emergency medical journey by the Kaduna state government, which tried to unilaterally put conditions to the journey even though it lacked such powers, the journey has gone on without hitches.
“This emergency medical journey is consequent on the facts that both the Sheikh and his wife are known to be clearly very ill in detention, sequel to the brutal wounds unjustifiably inflicted on them by the state agents in the name of Nigerian army, the resultant prolonged dehumanising detention in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the obvious poisoning of the Sheikh.
“As a result of all these physical and psychological stress, the Sheikh suffered series of mild strokes and is at the risk of further recurrences.
“At the same time, he lost one eye following the military attack and is at a severe risk of losing his sight completely in the other. He is now found to have more than twenty times the toxic levels of lead poison in his body!
“Similarly, the wife has been under excruciating pains with shrapnel deeply lodged in her body for all these years of inhuman conditions in detention. She now is able to ambulate only with the use of a wheelchair, even to the airport.
“They have been battling ailments that could not be treated in Nigeria, as posited by the foreign medical experts that earlier in the year assessed their health condition. Undoubtedly, both risk losing their lives had the medical journey been further delayed or denied.
Faith
Catholic Church Kicks against Rumours, urges Politicians to Respect Sacred Lines

The Catholic Diocese of Warri on Saturday, appealed to political actors in Delta to respect the sacred lines as they go about their campaigns.
The Parish Priest of St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Effurun, Delta, the Very Rev. Fr. Mark Ikeke made the appeal in a statement issued in Warri.
The church was responding to rumours that Sen.
Ovie Omo-Agege, All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate is not a Christian.Ikeke declared that Omo-Agege is not only a Christian, but a baptised, practicing and dedicated member of the Catholic Church.
“Our attention has been drawn to a rumour that one of our parishioners, Sen.
Omo-Agege, the Deputy President of the Senate is not a Christian.“For the avoidance of doubt, Sen. Omo-Agege is a baptised, practicing and dedicated member of the Roman Catholic Church.
“He is a member of and a communicant in St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Government Reservation Area, Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta,’’ Ikeke said.
He added that the church recognises that this is an election season and encourages political leaders and their supporters to strive to uphold decorum, respect sacred lines and show love to all in their campaigns.
According to him, the sole purpose of the press statement is to encourage decorum and uphold the truth regarding Sen. Omo-Agege’s religious identity.
“We hope and pray that our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ should thoroughly guide our actions and inactions,’’ he added. (NAN)
Faith
Lent: Priest Preaches Forgiveness for Improved Christian Life

The Catholic Priest in charge of Holy Spirit Church, Onireke, Lagos, Rev. Fr. Anthony Okereke, has urged Christians to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness for spiritual growth.
Okereke, a Soul Revival and Healing Gospel Preacher, made the call while celebrating an early morning Lent Mass on Saturday.
He said the essence of the mass was to reposition Christian faithful to partake in the blessings of the Lent season.
The priest said the Lent seasons should be used by Christians to atone for their sins and be better positioned to communion with God.
Okereke said that the season was an important period in the life of every Christian, adding, ”it’s a time to make peace with God and humans”.
”The fasting and prayers that we undertake during Lent will be meaningless if we still harbour acrimonies against our neigbhours.
”If we expect God to forgive us of our misdeeds, we must first forgive those who have wronged us.
”We must remember that God created man in His own image and likeness, so we must begin to make peace with your fellow humans,” he said.
The catholic clergy further urged Christians not to relent in praying for national unity, peace and development.
”If there is a man to pray, there is God to answer. Let us use the Lent season to seek the face of God,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lent is a 40-day period of fasting and prayer which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar.
The 2023 Lent season which began on Feb. 22, would end on April 6.(NAN)
Faith
Catholic Archbishop Tasks Christians on Unity, Cooperation

Catholic Archbishop of Calabar, Most Rev. Joseph Ekuwem, on Sunday at the FCT urged Christians to shun divisions in the body of Christ and embrace unity for national development.
Ekuwem made the call at the 2023 annual Lecture and Merit Award of the National Missionary Seminary of St.
Paul in Gwagwalada.The lecture was entitled: “Missionary Cooperation and Integral Development’’.
Ekuwem said the essence of the lecture was to reposition the Church and its members on its outreach and services to people within and outside the Church, especially in Nigeria.
According to him, the greatest achievement of the Church is not about structure and properties acquired, but consistent drive on evangelism and converting people to Christianity through words, prophetic impartation and counselling.
“Being Missionary implies bringing the good news of salvation to the people by preaching the proclamation among those who have not known Jesus Christ.
“People of God are expected to cooperate with one another in the exercise of missionary activities for an effective realisation of the mission of Christ entrusted to them.
“The aim is to examine the concept of mission and missionary cooperation and its theological and missiological ramifications, theological principles for missionary activities and apply them for integral development,’’ he said.
Missiology is the academic study of the Christian mission history and methodology. It began to be developed as an academic discipline in the 19th century.
Ekuwem enjoined Christian leaders and their congregations to always examine issues that promoted cooperation and better understanding among different denominations in Nigeria.
He noted that: “where there is unity there is progress’’ and stressed that Christians should walk together in love and purity as it would assist in national development.
In his address, Mr Hyacinth Ichoku of Veritas University, Abuja, said the Church, as an agent of peace, reconciliation and healing has to contribute in addressing the political, cultural, ethnic and other fractures within Nigeria.
He said theologians must begin to think of adopting the approach of social scientists, if they were to address fully, the limitations of human responses in the society.
Ichoku emphasised the need for denominations to jettison competition among themselves and embrace cooperation.
“We should emphasise things that will unite the Church and shun things that can divide us,’’ he stressed. (NAN)