Shock as Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Matthew Eya shot dead in Enugu

Enugu State has been thrown into mourning following the brutal killing of Rev. Fr. Matthew Eya, a Catholic priest serving in the Nsukka Diocese, who was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Nsukka Local Government Area.

The incident occurred on the evening of Friday, September 19, 2025, along the Eha-Alumona-Eha-Ndiagu Road. Until his untimely death, Fr. Eya was the parish priest of St. Charles Catholic Church, Eha-Ndiagu.

Initial accounts suggested a failed kidnapping, but emerging details point toward a targeted assassination. Eyewitnesses said the gunmen, riding on motorbikes, ambushed the priest’s vehicle near the site of a hospital under construction.

“They shot at his tyres to force him to stop, then moved in and opened fire at close range. This wasn’t a random abduction, it looked planned,” a community source told journalists.

Fr. Eya, who hailed from Ugbaike in Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, was reportedly alone when the attack happened. While some online reports claimed passengers were abducted, those accounts remain unverified.

Confirming the tragedy, the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka released a statement through its Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Cajetan Iyidobi.

“Shocked to the marrow, it is with crushing pain and sorrow, yet in total submission to God’s will and firm hope in the resurrection, that I announce the tragic death of our brother, Rev. Fr. Matthew Eya, who was shot dead yesterday along the Eha-Alumona-Eha-Ndiagu Road,” the statement read.

Fr. Iyidobi called on the Catholic faithful to remain prayerful and united in faith during what he described as “a period of devastating anguish.”

The Enugu State Police Command has not yet issued an official statement, but investigations into the killing are expected to commence immediately.