By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent, Worthy News

NSUKKA, NIGERIA (Worthy News) – A Catholic priest has been shot and killed in southeastern Nigeria amid ongoing violence against clergy in the country, church officials say.

Mathew Eya, parish priest of St. Charles Catholic Church in Eha-Ndiagu, a rural farming community in Nsukka Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, was reportedly attacked Friday evening while returning to his parish.

Eyewitnesses reported that armed men on a motorcycle intercepted his vehicle on the Eha-Alumona–Eha-Ndiagu road, a local route connecting small villages near Nsukka town, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Enugu, the state capital.

The gunmen allegedly disabled the tyres before shooting him multiple times at close range, killing him instantly. Some accounts suggested others may have been in the vehicle, though that remains unclear.

The Diocese of Nsukka, which oversees Catholic communities in the northern part of Enugu State, expressed deep sorrow over the priest’s death. “Shocked to the marrow, it is with crushing pain and sorrow, yet a total submission to the will of the Almighty God and a firm hope in the resurrection of the dead, that I inform you of the tragic death of yet another brother of ours, Rev. Fr. Matthew Eya,” said Diocesan Chancellor Cajetan Iyidobi in a statement.

PRAYERS URGED

Enugu State authorities condemned the killing as “cowardly and cold-blooded.” The government announced a 10 million Nigerian naira reward (about 6,700 U.S. dollars) for credible information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

Eya, originally from Ugbaike in Enugu Ezike, another rural community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, was widely respected among parishioners and had served in the Diocese of Nsukka for several years, observers said.

Igbo-Eze North, located in northern Enugu State along the border with Benue and Kogi states, is predominantly populated by Igbo-speaking farming communities.

The murder follows a string of violent incidents targeting priests and Christian leaders in Nigeria, where Islamic militants, criminal gangs, and other armed groups have carried out killings and kidnappings for ransom.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has repeatedly warned that the nation’s clergy are being “hunted like game” and urged authorities to improve security in rural areas.

BROADER CONCERNS

The killing of the priest comes amid broader concerns about the plight of Christians in Nigeria, which advocacy groups such as Open Doors and Christian Solidarity International have consistently ranked among the most dangerous countries in the world for believers. Rights monitors say that between January and August 2025 alone, over 7,000 Christians were killed and some 7,800 abducted.

Since 2009, more than 19,100 churches have been destroyed, over 1,100 Christian communities displaced, and at least 600 Christian clerics abducted in violence linked to Islamist militants and allied militias, according to investigators.

“Northern Nigeria is no longer safe. Moving to western Nigeria to Lagos is the right solution,” said Christian farmer Paul Jongas, who on Wednesday, September 17, was threatened by Islamic gunmen entering his land. “We are praying to be able to rent something in there [in Lagos] and packing funds,” Jongas told Worthy News.

Jongas, 54, explained earlier to Worthy News that he is preparing to flee with his wife and three children after his Christian neighbor was recently abducted.

The violence has rocked Africa’s most populous country with more than 220 million people, roughly half of whom are Christian. The United Nations, the U.S. State Department, and international rights groups have repeatedly raised alarms over mass killings, abductions, and forced displacement of Christians in Africa’s largest democracy.

Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

Latest Stories from Worthy News