By Emmanuel Christ
Known gunmen are said to have killed three attendees at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Nkweagu, Abakaliki Local Government Area, Ebonyi State.
According to reports, the gunmen stormed the church at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.
They had already called one of the victims, a prominent POS operator in Nkwuagu market, to come out of the church. They shot and killed him as soon as he stepped outside.
It was gathered that, the killings of the three victims threw the whole community into mourning and paralyzed economic activities, especially on Christmas Day, at the popular Nkwuagu market located along the Abakaliki/Afikpo express road.
Recall that one person, a student, was recently killed at Nkwuagu community as a result of cult clashes, and now, three more people were killed again, making it four.
Investigation revealed that the killings of these three worshippers at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church may be connected with cult-related clashes between rival groups at Nkwuagu community.
When contacted for a reaction, the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, CP Augustina Ogbodo, did not respond to several calls. Similarly, the PPRO did not respond to text messages sent to her by newsmen in Abakaliki.
In a swift reaction, the Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese, Most Rev. Peter Nworie, has condemned in totality the gruesome murder of the said three Immaculate Conception Catholic Church worshippers on Christmas Eve.
Nworie described the incident as sad and disheartening, adding that the suspected killers invaded the church while a priest was celebrating a vigil mass service and killed and injured many others.
“This is the first time such an incident has happened in the church and in Ebonyi State in general,” the bishop noted.