A Nigerian Catholic priest has been killed in an attempted robbery.
Father Goodwill Onyeka of the Diocese of Oyo, along with his younger brother, Onyeka Obi, died the evening of June 1 on the way to Owo-Oba-Akoko, in the state of Ondo, in southern Nigeria, reported Fides.
According to reports, bandits tried to stop the vehicle in which the priest and his brother were traveling to Lagos.
Oberservers claim the bullets the criminals fired hit the fuel tank, causing it to explode. While the driver managed to escape the flames, the priest and his brother died immediately.
According its official website, the Diocese of Oyo covers some 18,000 sq. km, and is situated in the Yoruba South West area of Nigeria and occupies a larger part of Oyo State covering Oyo, Ogbomoso and the whole of Oke-Ogun. The diocese is bounded in the north by Ilorin Diocese, in the south by Ibadan Archdiocese, and in the east by Osogbo Diocese. Of its population of 2.5 million people, who are predominantly Muslim, 36,432 are Catholics. (D.C.L.)
***
On the NET:
Catholic Diocese of Oyo: http://www.catholicdioceseoyo.org/
