By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Catholic Diocese of Nnewi has announced the murder of Reverend Father Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, a devoted priest and pharmacist, who was killed by unidentified assailants in Ihiala, Anambra State, on Boxing Day, December 26, 2024.

News Express report that barely two weeks ago, a 72-year-old retired Anglican Archbishop, Most Reverend Godwin Okpala, of the Nnewi Diocese, was kidnapped and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Okonkwo until his death was the serving Manager of the Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala.

Meanwhile, 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.

It said that funeral arrangements would be announced in due course.

The statement reads in part: “The senseless killing of Fr. Tobias has sent shockwaves throughout the community, and authorities are urged 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 words of the statement, ‘Where sorrow increases, divine consolation increases all the more’.”