From John Adams, Minna
No fewer than 500 priests from within and outside, including political leaders in the state, on Friday, attended the burial of Very Reverend Isaac Achi of the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Kafin Koro, in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State who was burned and killed by some gunmen suspected to be bandits last Sunday.
The priests were led in the burial mass by the Catholic Bishop of Minna Dioceses, Most Rev. Dr. Martins Igwemezie Uzoukwu, and assisted by the Auxiliary Bishop of Minna Diocese, Most. Rev. Dr. Sylvester Luka Gopper.
The state delegation at the burial was led by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Kesto. In his sermon, Very Rev. Father Samuel Gwimi of the Catholic Institute of Africa, Port Harcourt, said how Rev. Achi was brutally murdered was a painful one for the Catholic community, adding that “his death left so many questions in our minds, and someone will be tempted to ask: where is God? But we will continue to trust in God, and this question can be answered in our Christian faith.
He lamented that Nigerians had lost confidence in the government to give them protections. He, therefore, urged those seeking for positions of leadership in 2023 to make security their priority, because the protection of life and property remained the primary responsibility of leaders at all levels of government.
Also speaking, , Most Rev. Dr. Martin Igwemezie Uzoukwu, Catholic Bishop of Minna Diocese, said many Christians had continued to be targets of violence and killings by gunmen in the country. Hence, “The government must guarantee the security of the people it governs. So many Christians have been targets of attack, and we must all be vigilant.”
Speaking shortly after attending the burial, the Deputy Governor Alhaji Ahmed Kesto, assured that the perpetrators of the gruesome murder of Rev. Father Achi would be brought to book, saying that the state government had set a committee to investigate the killing with a view to bringing the perpetrators to book.