The Catholic Diocese of Nnewi has announced the gruesome kīlling of Reverend Father Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo by Unknown Gunmen.
The reverend father was cut down on Boxing Day, according to a statement by Rev. Fr. Raphael Ezeogu, Chancellor of the Nnewi Diocese.
Rev Fr. Ezeonu stated that the deceased, a pharmacist, was shot deàd in Ihiala on December 26, 2024 between 7 pm and 8 pm along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway.
He described it as a devastating loss but expressed faith in divine consolation.
At the time of his death, Fr. Okonkwo was serving as the Manager of the Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala.
Fr. Raphael Ezeogu quoted the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi as calling on the faithful to offer prayers and Holy Masses for the eternal rest of Fr. Tobias and to console his bereaved family.
The Diocese added that the funeral arrangements of Fr Okonkwo will be announced in due course.
The Daily Crucible reports that the kìlling of the clergyman came barely two weeks after the abduction of a 75-year-old retired Anglican Archbishop, Most Reverend Godwin Okpala and their whereabouts have remained unknown.