AFRICA/NIGERIA - Priest killed in roadside ambush

Abuja (Fides news Agency) – A Catholic priest was killed in a roadside ambush in Nigeria. Father Samuel Opeyemi Oyetoro was attacked with a machete on Church Road in Ajaokuta, Kogi State, in central Nigeria.
The Diocese of Lokoja announced the priest's killing in a statement released by the diocesan curia on July 29."It is with deep sorrow, yet in the hope of the Resurrection, that the Catholic Diocese of Lokoja announces the passing of our beloved priest, Father Samuel Opeyemi Oyetoro, who died on Wednesday, July 29, 2026," the diocesan statement reads.
A police spokesperson said: "On July 29, 2026, at about 9:30 a.m., the police received a report of the body of an unidentified man lying by the roadside along Church Road in Ajaokuta.
"Officers immediately rushed to the scene and found that the deceased had sustained severe machete wounds to the head. The body was taken to ASCL Hospital, where a doctor confirmed his death, and was subsequently transferred to the mortuary for an autopsy."
The deceased was later identified as Father Samuel Opeyemi of St. Paul's Parish, Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu LGA, Kogi State.
The Diocese has called on priests, religious and lay faithful to remember the murdered priest in their prayers and at Masses, while also praying for his family and for the Diocese during this time of mourning.
Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo described the killing of the priest as "a heinous and unacceptable act."
(L.M.) (Fides News Agency, 3/8/2026)

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