Some yet-to-be-identified gunmen have killed a Catholic Church priest, Reverend Father Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, in Anambra State.
The Catholic Diocese of Nnewi which announced the incident on Friday said that Rev. Fr. Okonkwo, who was also a trained pharmacist, was fatally shot dead by the assailants on Thursday, the Boxing Day in the Ihiala area of the state.
His death follows closely on the heels of the abduction of a 75-year-old retired Anglican Archbishop, Most Reverend Godwin Okpala, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
According to a statement signed by Reverend Father Raphael Ezeogu, Chancellor of the Nnewi Diocese, the incident occurred between 7pm and 8pm along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway.
The Diocese described the killing as a profound loss but expressed hope in divine comfort.
Born on August 11, 1984, Fr. Tobias was ordained on July 11, 2015. At the time of his passing, he was serving as the Manager of the Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala.
The Diocese called on the faithful to pray and offer Holy Masses for the repose of Fr. Tobias’s soul and to console his grieving family.
The church added that details of his funeral arrangements would be announced at a later time.
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