Tragedy struck in Nsukka, Enugu State, on Friday evening as gunmen shot dead a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Mathew Eya, parish priest of St. Charles Catholic Church, Eha-Ndiagu community, Eha-Alumonah.
According to eyewitnesses, the cleric was returning from Enugu when he was ambushed near the site of an ongoing Type C hospital project. The assailants, riding on a motorcycle, reportedly opened fire on his vehicle’s tyres, forcing it to a halt before shooting him multiple times at close range.
While initial speculation suggested the attack may have been linked to kidnapping, sources dismissed the theory, noting that the priest was travelling alone and no abduction attempt was made.
“They blocked him near the hospital project, shot at his tyres, and when the car stopped, they walked up and fired repeatedly at him. This doesn’t look like kidnapping—it was clearly an assassination,” one source said.
The late priest, a native of Ugbaike in Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North LGA, was widely known in his parish and surrounding communities.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement, but the killing has heightened fears of targeted violence in the region, where insecurity and violent attacks have been on the rise.
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