Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - A Catholic priest was killed in Nigeria while attempting to mediate a family dispute. Father Godfrey Oparaekwe, parish priest of St. Ambrose Church in Ubakala (Umuahia South LGA), in Abia State (southern Nigeria), died on the evening of June 17. According to information from the Diocese of Umuahia and sent to Fides, the priest, accompanied by the couple's daughter and another man, had gone to the man's house to recover a motorcycle belonging to the girl. The couple had been in a crisis for some time, to the point where the woman and children had left the house, leaving the man alone. Father Oparaekwe had tried to mediate but was threatened by the man. On the evening of June 17, the man stabbed Father Oparaekwe several times, seriously injuring him, and then threatened other people with the same weapon. The attacker was immobilized, and Father Oparaekwe was taken to hospital. However, the priest died from his injuries a few hours after his arrival.
Father Godfrey was born on October 4, 1953, in Ulakwo, Owerri, Nigeria. He was ordained priest in 1983 at the St. Joseph Seminary of Ulakwo, Oweni, Nigeria, in the Diocese of Umuahia. In 2000, he received a Master's degree in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Arizona. From 2002 to 2012, he held various positions in the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona (USA), and then returned to Nigeria. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 24/6/2025)
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