By Abigail Philip David
Reverend Father Tobias Okonkwo, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi in Anambra State, was tragically shot dead by unknown gunmen on Thursday, December 26, 2024.
The incident occurred around 7 p.m. along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway near Ihiala. The Catholic Diocese of Nnewi announced his death in a letter dated December 27, 2024, signed by the Diocesan Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Raphael Ezeogu.
The letter, titled “Obituary,” revealed that Father Okonkwo, born on August 11, 1984, and ordained on July 11, 2015, was a native of Ekwulumili in Nnewi South Local Government Area. He was the manager of the Schools of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala.
“Where sorrow increases, divine consolation increases all the more,” the letter read. “We solicit your prayers and Holy Masses for his eternal joy. May Fr. Tobias rejoice in Paradise forever. May God console the bereaved.”
The Diocese stated that funeral arrangements would be announced later. Efforts to contact the Diocesan Secretariat and the Anambra State Police Command for further details were unsuccessful at the time of this report.
This tragedy comes just three weeks after the disappearance of retired Anglican Archbishop of the Niger Province, Most Rev. Prof. Godwin Okpala, and his driver on December 7, 2024. The two went missing during a trip to the Umuchu community in Aguata Local Government Area, with their whereabouts still unknown.
The incident has heightened concerns over insecurity in the state, with both Catholic and Anglican faithful calling for prayers and swift action from authorities.
