•Catholic bishops
A Catholic Reverend’s Father has allegedly shot a boy dead after the latter set off knockouts within the church premises.
The incident which happened during the New Year Mass held on January 1, 2025, in Amaimo, Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, has attracted reactions from social media users.
However, the name and parish of the priest and the name of the deceased could not be verified, reports The PUNCH.
In a Facebook post shared via the handle, ‘For The Love Of Anambra,’ yesterday, it quoted eyewitness accounts, reporting that after the deceased set off the knockouts, “the priest, whose identity remains undisclosed, picked up a firearm and fatally shot him.
“The incident has left the community in shock and mourning, with residents expressing outrage and demanding a thorough investigation to uncover the facts behind the unfortunate event.”
When contacted by our correspondent today, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye stated that the command is already aware of the incident.
Okoye added that an investigation has been launched into the incident.
“We have launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the remote facts surrounding the incident.
“Further development on the case will be communicated in due course, please,” the police spokesperson stated in a message.
Reacting to the incident, a Facebook user, Malachy Chukwunyereugo, wrote, “He will spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Another Facebook user, Lyn Chy, lamented, “The fact that a Reverend father owns a gun is somehow [sic].”
Another user, Peace Ijeoma wrote, “It’s disheartening to see how religious bigots are defending the priest. May we try to be lovers of God and not lovers of the men of God this 2025. Rip to the boy.”
On X, a tweep identified as Bloc Chief, with the username #blochief, shared his amusement.
He tweeted, “I thought this happens in the USA? How can this happen in Imo? Mehn.”
Another tweep, identified as Rise above hat, but tweeting as #asababoi2man, wrote, “Maybe he has [been] abducted before by gunmen… so he felt the men are back.. only God knows what he was thinking.”
