The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 38 suspects allegedly linked to the assassination of Reverend Father Mathew Eya, a Catholic priest of the Nsukka Diocese.
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Fr. Eya, the parish priest of St Charles Catholic Church, Eha-Ndiagu, was shot dead on the evening of Friday, 19 September 2025, along the Eha-Ndiagu – Eha-Etiti Road, in the Eha-Alumona community, Nsukka Local Government Area. He was returning to his parish from Enugu when he was reportedly ambushed and killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen, a group said to have been terrorising the area in recent months.
In a statement released on Sunday, the State Commissioner of Police, Bitrus Giwa, through the Command’s spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, assured the public that the police were committed to apprehending all those responsible.
“We suspect the assailants are still within the area, and we are determined to fish them out,” Giwa said, while expressing condolences to Fr. Eya’s family and the Catholic Church.
The Command disclosed that tactical teams have been deployed to raid criminal hideouts and conduct bush-combing operations in the affected communities. These actions led to the arrest of 38 suspects, who are currently undergoing screening and interrogation.
“We will ensure that justice is served, and the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book,” Ndukwe stated.
The police emphasised that although the suspects are believed to be connected to the crime, efforts are ongoing to identify the actual killers.
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