Lawmaker representing Enugu West, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has mourned the Enugu Catholic Priest killed by suspected herdsmen on Friday.

In a statement personally signed, the lawmaker said: “I received with a deep sense of loss the sad event of the killing of the late Rev. Fr. Paul Offu by gunmen along Ihe-Agbudu road in my constituency Thursday evening. My heart goes out to the Catholic community and his immediate family over the huge loss.

“I’m in touch with the Government of Enugu State and the Catholic Bishop of Enugu, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, over the development. I’m aware of and commend the emergency security meeting held by the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, security agencies, and stakeholders in addition to other security measures being put in place to ensure that Enugu State remains one of the most secure and peaceful States in the country.

“I join the Government and people of Enugu State and the Catholic community in praying for the peaceful repose of the soul of the deceased. May God also grant all those affected by this death the inner strength to bear the irreparable loss. Amen.”

Ekweremadu however urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to take immediate steps to put in motion processes to restore decentralised policing, including state police.

He said: “This is the surest way to tame insecurity in the land and empower the federating states to better secure the lives and property of citizens.”