The Diocese of Nnewi in Nigeria is appealing for prayers for the repose of the soul of Father Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, who was reportedly murdered on Dec. 26.

In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, the chancellor of the diocese, Father Raphael Ezeogu, said the late priest “was shot dead by unidentified assailants at lhiala along Onitsha-Owerri Expressway around 7 p.m.”

“Father Tobias, a pharmacist and native of Ekwulumili in Nnewi South local government area, was manager of the respective schools of nursing, midwifery, and medical laboratory at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Ihiala,” Father Ezeogu said.

“We solicit your prayers and holy Masses for his eternal joy,” Ezeogu said, adding that funeral arrangements will be communicated as they become available.

“May Father Tobias rejoice in paradise forever; amen. May God console the bereaved,” he added.

Born in August 1984, Father Okonkwo was ordained a priest in July 2015.

Nigeria has been battling a surge of violence orchestrated by gangs whose members carry out indiscriminate attacks, kidnapping for ransom, and, in some cases, killing.

Boko Haram, a group that allegedly aims to turn Africa’s most populous nation into an Islamic nation, has been a major challenge in the country since 2009.