A wave of grief has hit Enugu State after gunmen brutally killed a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Mathew Eya, in Nsukka Local Government Area.
The tragic incident occurred on Friday evening in Eha-Ndiagu community, Eha-Alumonah, as the cleric was returning from Enugu, the state capital.
Witnesses said the attackers, riding on a motorcycle, ambushed the priest’s vehicle near the construction site of a Type C hospital.
The gunmen reportedly shot at the tyres, forcing the car to stop, before moving closer and firing several bullets into the priest at point-blank range.
A community source, quoted by Daily Post, insisted the killing looked like an assassination, not a kidnap attempt.
“They demobilised the tyres, and when the car stopped, they shot him several times at close range. It doesn’t look like kidnapping,” the source explained.
The late priest, parish priest of St. Charles Catholic Church, Eha-Ndiagu, was said to be driving alone during the attack.
He hailed from Ugbaike in Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area.
As of the time of this report, neither the Enugu State Police Command nor the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka had issued an official statement.
Efforts by journalists to reach the police spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, proved unsuccessful as calls to his phone went unanswered.
The killing has sparked outrage and sorrow among parishioners and the wider Catholic community in Enugu.
Many fear this targeted attack highlights worsening insecurity in the region, where priests and worshippers have increasingly become victims of violence.
The murder of Fr. Eya adds to the growing list of clergy attacked in Nigeria in recent years.
The Catholic Church has repeatedly raised alarm over the spate of killings and kidnappings of priests, calling on government authorities to take urgent action.
For now, residents of Nsukka remain in shock, with many demanding a swift investigation and justice for the slain priest.
