The Enugu State Police Command has announced the arrest of 38 suspects reportedly in connection with the assassination of Rev Fr Mathew Eya, a Catholic priest of Nsukka Diocese.
The arrests followed a police manhunt for the armed men who murdered Fr. Eya, along the Eha-Ndiagu – Eha-Etiti Road in Eha-Alumona community of Nsukka Local Government Area on September 19, 2025.
Eya, a parish priest of St Charles Catholic Church Eha-Ndiagu was shot dead while returning to his parish on Friday evening from Enugu by suspected Fulani herdsmen, who had been terrorising the area.
However, in a statement on Sunday, the State Commissioner of Police, Bitrus Giwa in a statement issued through the Command’s spokesperson Daniel Ndukwe, vowed that the police will leave no stone unturned in apprehending the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
“We suspect that the assailants are still in the area, and we are determined to fish them out,” Giwa said, commiserating with the immediate family of the deceased and the Catholic Church.”
”The state police command has deployed operatives to raid criminal hideouts and conduct bush combing exercises in the area, resulting in the arrest of 38 suspects and recovery of incriminating exhibits.
“We have arrested 38 suspects, and they are currently undergoing screening.
“We will ensure that justice is served, and the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book,”Ndukwe said.
The command emphasised that the suspects are believed to be connected to the murder, and police are working to identify the actual perpetrators.
