Parish priest of St. Peter Claver Catholic Parish in Nnewi Ichi, Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State Rev. Fr. Edmond Nwagbala has been burnt to death.
The fire started in the wee hours of , Saturday, November 16, 2019, and affected parts of the church residential building.
The priest, about 60 years old, was said to have been burnt beyond recognition inside his room.
Police spokesman, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident.
He said the inferno, whose cause is yet to be ascertained, affected a part of the church’s residential building.
“As a result the parish priest one Rv Fr.Edmond Nwagbala ‘m’ aged about 60yrs was burnt beyond recognition inside his room at same premises.”
The spokesman said police patrol teams attached to Otolo Division led by the DPO visited the scene. He said the fire service department was equally alerted and they responded promptly and put off the fire
“Meanwhile,the victim was rushed to the hospital for medical attention but certified dead on arrival by the medical doctor and corpse deposited at the mortuary for postmortem examination.”
Mr Haruna said the Commissioner of Police, John Abang, has ordered a discreet investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Chief Fire Officer in Anambra state, Martin Agbili, also confirmed the incident.
“At about 0346 hours of today, Anambra State Fire Service received a distress call of a fire outbreak at the Parish House of St. Peter’s Catholic Church Nnewi Ichi Uruagu”.
“Our men were deployed to the fire scene and we have contained the situation. The Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Edmond Nwagbara lost his life during the fire outbreak. He was at the room where the fire incident emanated,” he said.
