Gunmen kill Catholic priest in Anambra amid rising insecurity
By Jeffrey Agbo
Gunmen have killed Rev. Fr. Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Nnewi, Anambra State.
According to a statement released on Friday by Rev. Fr. Raphael Ezeogu, Chancellor of the Nnewi Diocese, Fr. Okonkwo was shot dead by unidentified assailants on Thursday evening at Ihiala, along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway. The tragic incident occurred between 7 pm and 8 pm.
“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,” the statement read.
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Born on August 11, 1984, Fr. Okonkwo was ordained a Catholic priest on July 11, 2015. He was also a trained pharmacist and served as the manager of the Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala.
The Diocese called for prayers for his soul and offered condolences to his family, while funeral arrangements will be announced later.
This incident underscores the escalating insecurity in the south-east region, particularly in Anambra State. Recently, the area has experienced a series of violent attacks, including the abduction of Justice Azuka, a member of the Anambra House of Assembly, on Tuesday, and the disappearance of Godwin Okpala, an Anglican bishop, on December 7.
