Enugu Grand Commandery, Knights of St. John International, has commiserated with His Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. C. V. C. Onaga, the Clergy, and Lay Faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu over the gruesome murder of Rev. Fr. Paul Offu on Thursday, August 1, 2019 by dare-devil hoodlums.

It said in a statement signed by the Grand President, Brig. Gen Gilbert N. Obu: “We are shocked by this heinous act of criminality that occurred a few hours after Fr. Paul had attended All Priests’ meeting in Enugu. In total solidarity with the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, we condemn the wanton killings of defenseless innocent citizens by armed bandits which have become the order of the day in our Country. We recall that just a few months ago, another Priest of the Diocese, Rev. Fr. Clement Ugwu, was kidnapped, killed and his body dumped in the bush for several days without the knowledge of anybody.”

While commending government’s efforts to tackle security threats all over the country, Enugu Grand Commandery appealed to it “to do more to ensure the protection of lives and property of our citizens which is their primary responsibility.”

It noted that “the security challenges are assuming higher and very dangerous proportions,” adding: “We fear that if not adequately contained, we may be drifting into a state of anarchy and destruction. Meanwhile, we call on the security agencies in Enugu State to fish out the culprits of this heinous crime and bring them to book.”