A security guard attached to the church, identified simply as David Isaac, have reportedly stabbed a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Nkpor Uno, in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State to Death.
The incident occurred inside the church premises at about 8 pm last Tuesday when the victim and security guard got involved in an argument that led to a fight.
The tragic incident led to palpable silence on the church premises as few parishioners were reportedly seen moving from one place to another.
In an interview with Punch, a source in the church said the security guard employed under a private security company pierced a dagger through the neck of the victim during a scuffle, and he was confirmed dead when he was rushed to a nearby hospital.
The source said the security guard had accused the man of having sex with a girl inside the church, which the victim denied and led to a fight between the duo.
The source said, “Trouble started when the security guard was patrolling around the church premises, which is their routine exercise. In the process, he saw the victim with another girl inside the church’s chapel staying in a compromised situation.
“Although we were in the church auditorium when we started hearing some noise from the chapel corner, when we got there, we saw the boy in a pool of blood. When interrogated, the security guard said he caught the victim having sex with a girl inside the church chapel at about 8 pm on that fateful day.
“The guard said he queried the boy as to why he was allegedly having intercourse inside a holy place like the Chapel, the victim denied having sex with the girl but insisted that he was only praying with the girl.
“When the guard insisted that he saw them having sex, the victim flayed up and engaged in a hot argument which headed to a fisticuff between the duo. It was at this point that the guard applied his dagger on the victim.”
Another resident of the area said the victim bled to death while he was being rushed to the hospital.
She said, “This is such a sad incident because we did not expect such a thing to happen. I don’t know if the boy was a member of the church or not, but the girl is a member of the church and she has insisted they were praying in the chapel and not having sex.”
Confirming the incident, a top official of the parish who pleaded anonymity said the suspect had been handed over to the police at the Ogidi Division for further investigations.
He added that the church had beefed up security within the premises since the incident occurred because friends and relations of the victim were threatening to burn down the chapel in protest.
The Divisional Police Officer at Ogidi Police Division, Frank Amobi, also confirmed the incident and explained that the suspect was in their custody.
