A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Mathew Eya, parish priest of St. Charles Catholic Church, Eha-Ndiagu, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, has been shot dead by gunmen, Peak Newspaper reports.
Community sources told our correspondent that the incident happened on Friday evening while the cleric was returning to his parish along the Eha-Ndiagu road.
The assailants, said to be riding on a motorcycle, allegedly trailed his vehicle, deflated its tyres, and forced it to a halt before opening fire.
“He was returning from Enugu when the gunmen closed in on him near the ongoing Type C hospital project. They shot at his car, immobilised it, and then killed him at close range,” a source who pleaded anonymity told reporters.
The priest was killed instantly, while another occupant of the vehicle was reportedly left unharmed.
The attackers fled the scene immediately after the shooting.
Fr. Eya, who hailed from Ugbaike in Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, was widely known in his community for his pastoral work.
As of press time, neither the Enugu State Police Command nor the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka had issued an official statement on the incident.
