The wife of an Anglican Church pastor was killed on Sunday morning when armed men stormed Saint Andrew’s Church in Isiokwe, Anambra State, in Nigeria’s South-east.
Isiokwe is located in Lilu Town, within the Ihiala Local Government Area.
Residents said that the incident occurred in the early hours of the day, according to PREMIUM TIMES.
One resident said the assailants appeared to have targeted the pastor, identified as Venerable Obiese.
“He escaped, but the gunmen shot his wife dead and burnt down his house and vehicles,” the resident, who requested anonymity, told this newspaper Monday morning.
“They also burnt church vehicles and other properties,” he added.
Video footage obtained shortly after the assault captured scenes from the aftermath.
The clips revealed the pastor’s residence reduced to ashes, with at least two vehicles and a motorcycle completely destroyed.
The church building also suffered partial damage, according to the footage.
For years, Lilu and neighbouring communities in Ihiala LGA have faced repeated attacks from armed groups terrorising locals.
Many residents fled the area as hoodlums took control of the community in 2021.
Obiora Agbasilo, the Labour Party’s candidate in the 2021 Anambra governorship election, was abducted in Lilu in September of that year and has not been seen since, amid widespread fears he was killed.
The local government area borders parts of Imo State, another South-east state severely affected by insecurity.
Anambra police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the latest assault on the church in Lilu and the killing of the pastor’s wife.
In a statement issued Monday, Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said additional victims sustained injuries.
He added that the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, condemned the attack.
“This heinous and abominable act, committed against innocent worshippers, is not only an assault on the community but a grave affront to our shared values of peace, sanctity of life, and freedom of worship,” Mr Orutugu was quoted as saying.
The commissioner expressed sympathy to the victims’ families and the wider community, assuring that security agencies would pursue those responsible.
“In view of the above, the (Anambra State Police) Command has already intensified intelligence-driven operations, deployed the joint security team, and strengthened surveillance across the area,” he said.
He urged residents to remain calm and support ongoing operations by providing “useful information” that could help track down the perpetrators.
Like other South-east states, Anambra has witnessed worsening insecurity, though an attack on a church marks a concerning development.
Previous incidents in the region have mostly targeted security personnel, government facilities, and public officials.
Hundreds of people have been killed or abducted, with many more injured in such assaults across the region.
The Nigerian government continues to blame the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the violence.
But the group has consistently denied any involvement.
IPOB campaigns for the creation of an independent state of Biafra from Nigeria’s South-east and parts of the South-south.
Its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was recently convicted of terrorism and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
