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Gunmen have killed a Catholic priest in Anambra State, south-east Nigeria.
The Catholic priest, Tobias Okonkwo, was shot dead on Thursday in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.
The Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, Raphael Ezeogu, announced this in a statement on Friday.
“He (Okonkwo) was shot dead by unidentified assailants, at Ihiala, along Onitsha-Owerri Expressway around 7pm and 8pm (on Thursday),” Mr Ezeogu, also a Catholic priest, said.
The chancellor prayed for the repose of the cleric’s soul.
“Funeral arrangements will be communicated in due course,” he said.
Mr Ezeogu said Mr Okonkwo, also a pharmacist, hailed from Ekwulumili in Nnewi South Local Government Area of the state.
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He said the slain Catholic priest had served as the manager of the various schools of nursing such as Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala.
Police speak
When contacted on Friday night, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, told PREMIUM TIMES that he was unaware of the incident.
“There is no report like that before me,” Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said in response to enquiries about the incident.
Increased attack
Like other states in Nigeria’s south-east, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons.
The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.
READ ALSO: Gunmen abduct Nigerian lawmaker returning home for Christmas
The Nigerian government has blamed IPOB for the deadly attacks in the region. However, the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.
IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the south-east and some parts of the south-south Nigeria.
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