A Nigerian Catholic missionary priest, Fr. Anthony Odoemlam, who heads Our Lady of Holy Rosary Church in Eastern Equatoria State’s Torit Town has confirmed that he received USD 3,500 from the family of a woman who intentionally broke a statue of Mary at the church months ago.
In April, the woman identified as Wando Lokoro, 20, is alleged to have broken the statue while the congregation attended Easter Sunday Mass. The suspect, who is said to have come from another undisclosed Christian Church, disputed the Catholic Church’s “worshipping and praising of Mary the mother of Jesus.”
The woman was then locked up in Torit Central Police Station and released on bail when her family paid USD 500 and surrendered the titles of 2 plots of land.
However, according to relatives of Lokoro who spoke off the record, even after clearing the Nigerian the whole sum to compensate for the broken statue, the police at the station in Torit are still holding the family’s two land titles and demanding payment of SSP 5,000 daily for keeping the titles in their office since May 2024.
According to officials, the Church administration demanded USD 3,500 as compensation for the statue to be bought cheaply only from Nigeria.
Father Odoemelam, the Parish Priest at Our Lady of Holy Rosary Parish, told the media that the family of the woman and the Church agreed on the sum.
“When the girl broke the statue, the parishioners who went to the police station wanted to open a case and I said no, they should not open the case, let the family pay for it (statue),” he explained. “When they were submitting the estimated amount, they put USD 3,500 but I told them that if they were to buy IT from Rome, it would cost them a lot but since I am traveling to Nigeria, I will buy it. I went for a few weeks and transportation alone cost USD 961.”
Fr. Odoemelam added: “My Brother, this was a violent and criminal act, it is targeted against the spirit of the Church and its people who were praying so it is not about whether the Church is preaching forgiveness or not.”
For his part, Major Justine Kileopus Takuru, the Eastern Equatoria State police spokesperson, confirmed that the money to compensate for the statue was handed over at the police station. He however wondered about the claims that the statues are cheaper in Nigeria than in other parts of the world.
“She was arrested and put in custody as the investigation went on. We asked how much the statue cost and they said it is not here in the whole of South Sudan and could be bought in Nigeria,” he said. “So, the chance was given to the priest to go and buy it because it was already a loss. The parish priest traveled up to Nigeria and bought the statue and on 25 July 2024, the two sides were called to settle the issue.”
The family of the woman who broke the statue declined to comment on the issue when contacted for fear of their security.