Gunmen Invade Lagos Catholic Church, Shoot Priest

Some gunmen opened fire on Daniel Nwankwo, parish priest of St Thomas Catholic Church, Onilekere, adjacent Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, Lagos, on Friday.

A parishioner, who simply identified himself as Valentine, said the assailant struck around 9am.

He explained that the victim had just finished attending to a church member when he was attacked.

“They were three in number. The men came into the church as if they were parishioners,” Valentine told TheCable Online News.

“When they arrived here, father was taking confession. As he was walking away after rounding off, they approached him and told him they need N5,000 to use in paying the hospital bill of someone.

“Before you knew what was happening, they had shot him in the stomach.”

Another witness, who refused to disclose his identity, said the attackers scaled the fence after hitting their target.

He said an associate priest of the church rushed Nwankwo to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.