Korede Abdullah in Lagos
Tragedy struck in Anambra State on Thursday, Boxing Day, as yet-to-be-identified gunmen shot dead Reverend Father Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, a Catholic Church priest.
According to the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, the incident occurred between 7pm and 8pm along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway in the Ihiala area of the state on the Boxing Day.
Reverend Father Raphael Ezeogu, Chancellor of the Nnewi Diocese, announced the incident in a statement on Friday.
Reverend Father Okonkwo, who was also a trained pharmacist, was ordained on July 11, 2015, and was serving as the Manager of the Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala at the time of his passing.
His death comes closely after the abduction of a 75-year-old retired Anglican Archbishop, Most Reverend Godwin Okpala, whose whereabouts remain unknown after 19 days.
The Catholic Diocese of Nnewi described the killing as a profound loss but expressed hope in divine comfort.
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. Details of his funeral arrangements are expected to be announced at a later time.
