Posted by By IKENNA EMEWU and LINUS OBOGO on
When Saturday Sun reached the priest at the centre of the storm on phone Monday (December 24), for his reaction, it was more of a combination of slapstick and a lecture.
• She's a cheap blackmailer
When Saturday Sun reached the priest at the centre of the storm on phone Monday (December 24), for his reaction, it was more of a combination of slapstick and a lecture.
Reporter: My name is Linus Obogo from The Sun Newspapers. Am I on to Reverend Father Patrick Okon?
Voice: Who is speaking?
Reporter: My name is Linus Obogo from The Sun newspapers.
Voice: The Sun Newspapers?
Reporter: Yes, The Sun newspapers.
Voice: Sorry, not me. What is the problem?
Reporter: I am on top of a sex scandal story involving you and a certain Ebere Eze.
Voice: Please this is not me. It is a wrong number, this is not him. It is a wrong number please.
Barely ten minutes afterwards, an unidentified male caller who claimed to be Okon's younger brother called back with a withheld number. According to him, the priest was no longer using the number the reporter earlier reached the priest on. Pressed to oblige his priest brother's current number, the male caller said he could not do that without the permission of Father Patrick Okon.
The following dialogue transpired:
Reporter: Hello (answering a call from a withheld number)
Father Okon's brother: I am hearing you (sic), I am hearing you (sic).
Reporter: Hello, it's a bit noisy.
Father Okon's brother: The line is not clear, call me back (even though he was the one who called the reporter's number). Call me back. Who (with aggression) did you say you want to speak to?
Reporter: But you called me and the number is withheld.
Father Okon's brother: I am sorry.
In less then two minutes later, the priest's brother called back with same number I had earlier called Okon on.
Father Okon's brother: (barking) What is it about? What is it about?
Reporter: Could that be Reverend father Patrick Okon?
Father Okon's brother: He is no longer using this number. He was using it before, but this is his younger brother.
Reporter: Can you oblige me his current number please?
Father Okon's brother: Until I confirm (sic) from…, is there any problem… what is the problem?
Reporter: I want to speak with him directly.
Father Okon's brother: What is the problem?
Reporter: if you are not Father Okon, there is no point telling you what the problem is.
Father Okon's brother: I will speak with him first before giving you (reporter) his number.
Reporter: It is in his interest that he speaks with me.
Okon's brother: Let me tell you something, whoever that gave you the story (even when no mention of a story was made to this brother of Okon's), I know my brother has told me about a young girl who has been threatening and doing all sorts…, I don't know anything about it.
And the line went dead.
Rev. Fr. Okon later called back, using the same number said to have been passed on to his sibling. And this phone dialogue ensued:
Priest: Good morning. My younger brother said you called with this number.
Reporter: Yes. Am I on to Rev. Fr. Okon now?
Priest: Who is this please?
Reporter: My name is Linus Obogo from The Sun newspapers.
Priest: Any problem?
Reporter: Please I wish to confirm if this is Reverend Father Patrick Okon.
Priest: Is there any problem?
Reporter: You called me and I have identified myself. I would rather that you also identify yourself.
Priest: You called my brother, who gave me your number. I don't identify myself before anybody I don't know on phone. I don't do business on the phone. Now who am I speaking with?
Reporter: Now can I take it that I'm speaking with Reverend Father Patrick, Okon?
Priest: Mr. Linus, say what you want to say. What is the problem?
Reporter: A certain lady, by name Ebere Eze, has alleged a sexual relationship between you and her, which resulted in pregnancy and subsequent abortion. How do you react to that?
Priest: React on the phone?
And the line went dead.
The reporter called the priest again for his reaction after his initial rebuff.
Rev. Fr. Okon: For more than ten times, I have tried to meet with her, she refused adamantly (sic) to meet with me. She has threatened to blackmail me. She had asked me to pay a certain amount of money into her bank account. There is nothing she has not done to make me pay the amount. And she keeps on avoiding me. Yesterday evening (Sunday, December 23, 2007), I called her number out of good will, to say happy Christmas, and all she had to do was to insult me on phone. I just said something jokingly and she cut off the line.
Reporter: Specifically, what did you say to her to warrant her insult? (and the line went off).
The reporter again put a call to Father Okon, following his request that the reporter should get back to him
Reporter: This is Linus.
Father Okon: Yes, I'm listening to you.
Reporter: You asked me to call you back.
Father Okon: What I'm saying is that from my own knowledge of journalism, if you call somebody on the phone and the person says he cannot speak to you on the phone, it is out of respect for that person to seek to talk to that person face-to-face. It is not everybody that likes discussing this type of issue on the phone. If somebody comes making allegations against another person, the person alleging should be able to take you to the one he or she is alleging against. You understand? Please, this young girl has troubled my life for a very long time now. This issue is more like a trend. What is going on, I really don't know. Please let her direct you to my place. You trouble me so much on the line. Let her direct you to my place. I beg you, I beg you!
Reporter: Professionally, I have tried to reach you to hear your own side of the story.
Father Okon: Linus, I am aware of that and I know that. But when you look at the story somebody gave you, and you called the person concerned and he says meet me face-to-face, you also make out time and meet the person face-to-face. The person has some guiding things about his life.
Reporter: And you suggest I call Ebere to direct me to your place?
Father Okon: Yes, call the person, in fact, you can come with her. I want you to know that I'm a trained journalist like you. I know what journalistic basics are. You understand?
Reporter: I will try and do that.
Father Okon: Please come with her so that when I'm talking, she will be there and it will bring out her weaknesses. If you want to build a story, I think that is the best way to do it.
Reporter: Thank you very much,
When Saturday Sun got across to Ebere Wednesday to be taken to Father Okon's, even as he was not ready to volunteer his contact, she said apart from Saint Peter and Paul, Somolu, that once served as their love nest, she could not locate him anywhere else, other than on telephone. According to her, the priest's life is one of nomadic.
With two days to the end of the year, it is left to be seen, if Reverend Father Patrick Okon will make good his declaration to renounce his celibacy and bond body and flesh to Ebere Eze.