One of the priests of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi in Anambra State, Reverend Father Tobias Okonkwo, has been shot dead by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.
It was gathered that Okonkwo was killed on Thursday by the gunmen along Onitsha-Owerri Expressway at about 7pm.
The information of his death was contained in a letter dated December 27, 2024, by the Diocesan Secretariat in Nnewi and signed by the Chancellor, Nnewi Diocese, 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.”
Efforts to speak to the Diocesan Secretariat through the Chancellor proved abortive, as several calls to the telephone line indicated it was switched off as of the time of filing this report, but a Reverend Father of the Catholic church, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development.
Also, calls and messages to the telephone line of the spokesman, Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
This is coming exactly three weeks after the news of the sudden disappearance of the retired Archbishop of the Niger Province and Bishop of Nnewi, Most Rev. Prof. Godwin Okpala, together with his driver, surfaced in the media space.
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.
