HOODLUMS suspected to be Fulani cattle herdsmen have killed the Catholic Parish Priest of St James the Greater Parish in Ugbawka of Enugu State Reverend Father Paul Offu by shooting him yesterday.
Of late, Fulani cattle herdsmen have been guilty of murderous attacks on farming villages across Nigeria, carrying out violent assaults on farming communities that protest damage to their crops by livestock. To address the problem, in May this year, ministers held meetings with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (Macban) in Kebbi State where they were offered N100bn ($276m) over two years to call off the ongoing murderous rampage of Fulani cattle herdsmen.
However, despite this the killings appear to be ongoing and yesterday, the St James the Greater Parish announced that Reverend Father Offu was shot dead. It published details of the gory attack on its Facebook page with the caption Tragedy Strikes Again in Enugu Diocese.
Its statement read: “With a deep sense of sorrow, the Catholic Diocese of Enugu announces the tragic death of Reverend Father Paul Offu, who was shot dead this evening by some hoodlums suspected to be the notorious and murderous Fulani herdsmen, along Ihe-Agbudu Road in Awgu Local Government Area. Offu hailed from Okpatu in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State and until his death, was the parish priest of St James the Greater Parish, Ugbawka. May perpetual light shine upon his gentle and illustrious soul.”
