JUST IN: GUNMEN KILL CATHOLIC PRIEST IN ANAMBRA
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A priest of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, Anambra State, Reverend Father Tobias Okonkwo, has been tragically shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday around 7 p.m. along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway.
The news of his death was disclosed in a letter dated December 27, 2024, issued by the Diocesan Secretariat in Nnewi and signed by the Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Raphael Ezeogu.
The letter, which had the deceased’s photograph, was titled “Obituary” and captioned, ‘Rev. Fr. Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo Born: August 11 1984; Ordained: July 11 2015, Died: December 26, 2024’.
The letter also solicited prayers and Holy Masses for his eternal joy from the Catholic faithful.
It read, “Where sorrow increases, divine consolation increases all the more.
“The Catholic Diocese of Nnewi announces, with sorrow but with stronger faith, that our dear Rev. Fr. Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo died yesterday, 26th December 2024.
“He was shot dead by unidentified assailants at Ihiala, along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway around 7 pm and 8 pm.
“Till yesterday, Fr. Tobias, a pharmacist and native of Ekwulumili in Nnewi South Local Government Area, was manager of the respective Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala.
“We solicit your prayers and Holy Masses for his eternal joy. May Fr. Tobias rejoice in Paradise forever, Amen. May God console the bereaved.
“Funeral arrangements will be communicated in due course.”
Attempts to reach the Diocesan Secretariat through the Chancellor were unsuccessful, as calls to the telephone line went unanswered and appeared to be switched off at the time of filing this report.
However, a Catholic priest, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident.
Similarly, calls and messages to the spokesman of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, received no response as of the time of this report.
This development comes exactly three weeks after reports emerged about the sudden disappearance of the retired Archbishop of the Niger Province and Bishop of Nnewi, Most Rev. Prof. Godwin Okpala, along with his driver.
Okpala, an Anglican cleric, together with his driver, went missing on Friday, December 7, 2024, after they went on a trip to the Umuchu community in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, but they failed to arrive at their destination.
Their whereabouts have remained unknown, and the development has continued to generate tension and anxiety among the Anglican faithful in Nnewi, Anambra State, and the entire state in particular.
It was gathered that despite efforts by the church to establish contact with them, no communication has been received, and the whereabouts of the cleric, his driver, and their vehicle have remained unknown.
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