27th December, 2024
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
Rev. Fr. Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, a priest with the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi has been shot dead by yet to identified gunmen in Ihiala, Anambra state.
Fr Tobias, who was also a pharmacist was shot dead on Boxing Day, December 26, the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi said in a statement on Friday.
According to a statement signed by Rev. Fr. Raphael Ezeogu, Chancellor of the Nnewi Diocese, Fr. Tobias was killed between 7pm and 8pm along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway.
The Diocese described the death of the priest as a devastating loss, but expressed faith in divine consolation.
Born on August 11, 1984, Fr. Tobias was ordained as a priest on July 11, 2015.
According to the statement, he was serving as the Manager of the Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala before he was brutally murdered.
“The Catholic Diocese of Nnewi has called on the faithful to offer prayers and Holy Masses for the eternal rest of Fr. Tobias and to console his bereaved family.
“Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
The Diocese urged authorities to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“As the Catholic community mourns the loss of this dedicated priest, they take comfort in the statement: “Where sorrow increases, divine consolation increases all the more.”
