A wave of grief in Enugu as gunmen assassinate Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Matthew Eya in Nsukka LGA. Diocese mourns amid rising insecurity

Enugu Catholic priest killed A wave of shock and grief has enveloped Enugu State after Rev. Fr. Matthew Eya, parish priest of St. Charles Catholic Church, was brutally shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Nsukka Local Government Area.

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The tragic incident happened on Friday evening, September 19, 2025, along the Eha-Alumona–Eha-Ndiagu Road.

Initial reports suggested a botched kidnapping, but eyewitness accounts indicate a targeted assassination. According to local sources, assailants on motorbikes ambushed the priest’s vehicle near an ongoing hospital construction site.

“They shot at his tyres to immobilise the car, then approached and shot him multiple times at close range. This was no kidnapping attempt—it looked like a deliberate hit,” a community source told journalists.

Fr. Eya, originally from Ugbaike in Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North LGA, was reportedly driving alone at the time. Social media claims of abducted passengers remain unverified.

The Catholic Diocese of Nsukka confirmed the killing in a sorrowful statement signed by Chancellor Rev. Fr. Cajetan Iyidobi:

“Shocked to the marrow, it is with crushing pain and sorrow yet with total submission to the will of Almighty God and firm hope in the resurrection of the dead—that I inform you of the tragic death of our brother, Rev. Fr. Matthew Eya.

He was shot dead yesterday along the Eha-Alumona–Eha-Ndiagu Road.”

Fr. Iyidobi described the moment as one of “devastating anguish” and urged the faithful to remain prayerful.

The Enugu State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement, but investigations are expected to commence immediately.

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The killing has heightened tension across Nsukka and surrounding communities, with residents and religious groups demanding urgent government action to safeguard clergy and citizens from rising insecurity in the region.