The remains of Tobias Okonkwo, a Catholic priest of the Nnewi diocese in Anambra State, killed on 26 December, have been buried amid tears.

After a requiem mass there, he was buried on Thursday at Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral in Nnewi.

His assailants shot Mr Okonkwo, a pharmacist while leaving the premises of the School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala, where he worked as a manager.

In his homily, the Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, Anichebe Ezeobata, said the late Okonkwo, who died in his prime, had created an impressive image for himself.

The vicar general added that the priest had led an impactful pastoral life before his death after being ordained in July 2015.

He explained that the deceased finished his internship as a pharmacist in October 2024 and was posted to the School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala, as a manager.

The cleric said that the deceased had barely two months in office before he was killed.

Dignitaries who attended the burial mass included Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, and Stella Okunna, a former commissioner for economic planning and budget in Anambra state.

(NAN)