JUST-IN: Gunmen Kill Catholic Priest As Lawmaker, Retired Anglican Bishop Missing In Anambra
In a tragic incident, Rev. Fr. Tobias, a priest with the Nnewi Catholic Diocese in Anambra State, was killed by unidentified gunmen on Thursday, December 26, 2024, between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway in Ihiala, Ihiala Local Government Area. The killing occurred just days after a state lawmaker, Hon. Justice Azuka, representing Onitsha North constituency, was kidnapped on Christmas Eve. Azuka was abducted around 9:20 pm in the Ugwunakpamkpa area of Inland Town, Onitsha, while returning home for Christmas.
According to the Diocese’s Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Raphael Ezeogu, Rev. Fr. Tobias, who was a pharmacist and manager of the Respective School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala, hailed from Ekwulumili. He was born on August 11, 1984, and was ordained a priest on July 11, 2015. His tragic death has left the Diocese in mourning.
The Diocese has requested prayers and Masses for the eternal repose of Fr. Tobias, stating, “May Fr. Tobias rejoice in Paradise forever, Amen.” Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
In a related development, the 75-year-old retired Anglican Archbishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev. Godwin Okpala, who was kidnapped about two weeks ago, is still missing, along with the kidnapped lawmaker Azuka.
The Anambra State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed on Thursday that Azuka’s vehicle was discovered in the Upper Iweka area of Onitsha, but efforts to rescue the lawmaker and arrest the kidnappers have so far been unsuccessful. Despite attempts to reach SP Ikenga for further comment, his phone was unavailable, and messages remained unanswered at the time of filing the report.
