…Police vow to apprehend perpetrators

A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Samuel Opeyemi, has been found dead in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State, in what police have described as a suspected homicide.

Rev. Fr. Opeyemi, who was born in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State and hailed from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area, was reportedly attacked and killed under circumstances that are still being investigated.

According to initial reports, the priest was stabbed multiple times before his lifeless body was discovered by the roadside in Ajaokuta.

However, the Kogi State Police Command, in its preliminary findings, disclosed that the deceased sustained severe machete cuts to the head.

Confirming the incident, the police said they received a distress report on July 29, 2026, at about 9:30 a.m., that the body of an unidentified male had been found along Church Road in Ajaokuta.

Police operatives immediately mobilised to the scene, where they recovered the body and evacuated it to ASCL Hospital.

A medical doctor confirmed the victim dead, after which the body was deposited at the mortuary for an autopsy.

The deceased was subsequently identified as Rev. Fr. Samuel Opeyemi of St. Paul Parish, Ayetoro Gbede, in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The tragic killing has sent shockwaves across the Catholic community and beyond, with many residents of Kogi State mourning the loss of the cleric.

The Kogi State Police Command said the case remains under active investigation and assured the public that efforts are underway to identify and arrest those responsible for the crime.

According to the police, the matter will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a discreet and comprehensive investigation upon the conclusion of the preliminary inquiry.

“The case is currently under investigation, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend those responsible. Upon the conclusion of the preliminary investigation, the case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation,” the police stated.

The Command added that further updates would be provided as investigations progress.

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