Parish Priest of St Thomas Catholic Church, Onilekere, Ikeja Lagos Rev. Fr Daniel Nwankwo was shot by gunmen at the church premises on Friday.

A parishioner who identified himself as Valentine said the assailants were suspected to be armed men who posed as parishioners attending the early morning mass.

It was gathered that the incident occurred around 9 am.

The witness explained that the victim had just finished attending to a church member when he was attacked.

“They were three in number. The men came into the church as if they were parishioners,” Valentine told TheCable.

“When they arrived here, father was taking confession. As he was walking away after rounding off, they approached him and told him they need N5,000 to use in paying the hospital bill of someone.

“Before you knew what was happening, they had shot him in the stomach.”

Another witness, who refused to disclose his identity, said the attackers scaled the fence after hitting their target.