A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Mathew Eya, has been brutally murdered by unidentified gunmen in Nsukka, Enugu State.
The tragic incident happened on Friday evening along the Eha-Ndiagu road, where Fr. Eya, who served as the parish priest of St. Charles Catholic Church, was ambushed on his way back to the parish.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, who rode on a motorcycle, intercepted his car and fired several shots at him.
The priest was killed instantly, while another person in the vehicle escaped without injury.
One community member, who did not want his name mentioned, explained that the gunmen deliberately shot at the tyres of the priest’s vehicle before carrying out the assassination.
“They stopped his car by deflating the tyres and then shot him at close range. It was a calculated attack,” the source recounted.
The killing reportedly took place close to the ongoing Type C hospital project in the area, a location now drawing heightened concern from residents.
Fr. Eya hailed from Ugbaike, a community in Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area.
His sudden death has left parishioners and locals in shock, with many describing him as a humble and dedicated servant of God.
“He was a peaceful man who devoted his life to service. It is heartbreaking that his life was cut short in this cruel manner,” a parishioner told reporters.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Enugu State Police Command nor the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka had officially commented on the killing.
The incident adds to the rising wave of insecurity in the South-East, where religious leaders have increasingly become targets of violent attacks.