Father Offu nearly missed priesthood, says brother of slain Enugu catholic priest

Elder brother of the slain parish priest of St James The Greater, Ugbawka, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, Rev. Fr. Paul Offu, Chief Moses Offu, recounts the cleric’s tortuous journey to priesthood, until August 1, 2019 when the curtain fell. Reverend Fr Paul Offu was shot dead along Ihe-Agbudu Road, in […]

Elder brother of the slain parish priest of St James The Greater, Ugbawka, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, Rev. Fr. Paul Offu, Chief Moses Offu, recounts the cleric’s tortuous journey to priesthood, until August 1, 2019 when the curtain fell.

Reverend Fr Paul Offu was shot dead along Ihe-Agbudu Road, in Awgu LGA of Enugu State on Thursday, August 1, 2019 by suspected armed herdsmen. Although Fr Offu was not the first Catholic priest to be murdered in similar manner within the state, his brutal killing sparked massive and aggressive protest by over 200 angry priests from the Catholic Diocese of Enugu.

The protesting priests marched to the Government House Enugu, where they expressed their disappointment and frustration concerning the series of violent attacks on their colleagues, and asked Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to urgently address insecurity in the state.

In an interview with Daily Trust Saturday in Enugu, Chief Moses Offu recalled how the Offu family lost their father last year, another family member last month and then Fr Paul on August 1. He said that, as human beings, such losses should trouble them but insisted the Offu family members still build their faith in God who gives and takes when it pleases Him.

Chief Offu narrated how his younger brother, Fr Paul, became a priest, despite some obstacles which almost scuttled his ordination in 1999.

According to Chief Offu, an ‘enemy of progress’ had petitioned the Catholic authority in Enugu, praying that Paul should not be ordained a priest.

“As he was marching towards the arena on the day of his ordination, he and one other person were called out. Now, the question was: What offence did he commit? Why won’t you ordain him? There were reactions from people to the extent that some priests resolved to pull off their cassock in solidarity with him.

“His ordination was delayed for almost two hours, which is not normal in the Catholic Church, in a bid to find out his offence. But upon finding out that the petition lacked merit, he was eventually ordained with his colleagues.”

Now, even in death, Fr Offu seemed to have inspired a kind of ‘revolution’ or ‘revolt’ among the Catholic priests in Enugu because hitherto, priests had never embarked on massive protest, no matter the situation.

“Now, look at his death – another point of controversy – see what is happening.  In the history of the Enugu diocese, priests had never protested but they did massively this time. So, I think he’s a destined young man and I believe God is with him,” said Moses.

Another significant aspect of Fr Offu’s life and death is that at the time of his cold blooded murder, he was on duty – to celebrate a requiem mass.

Was there any premonition of this type of tragic end for a priest whose life has been known for humanitarianism and charity? The elder brother could not quickly recall any specific premonition of Fr Offu’s death. “There was no such thing as far as I’m concerned but I know that on Wednesday, we held our family meeting.

“Our late father initiated this idea of having rotational meetings every month within the family. And it was his (Fr Paul’s) turn to host us last month (July) and he did. We were with him on July 31, 2019 being the last day of the month.

“We held the meeting in his house, and he would always tell us that this world is not our place; death can happen any time. So, you get to prepare for it anytime, anywhere. He didn’t see this world as a place he has come to stay forever. He was always encouraging people to pray ceaselessly to God and be upright in whatever they do.

“Fr Paul said that if he dies, we shouldn’t bother because the church is there for him; that as a Catholic priest, the church takes care of everything.

“In fact, I never knew that the meeting we had in his place on July 31 was the last supper. He was always prepared for death. I don’t think he had any regrets, although for us who are living, it is normal to be unhappy over his death,” said the first son of the family.

As a humanitarian, neck-deep into charity, Fr Offu had some old and poor people he was taking care of at the Old Peoples’ Home, near St Paul’s Catholic Church Uwani. And when his very tight schedule could not allow him to visit the old people quite often, he delegated his elder brother, Moses, to do so on his behalf.

He said: “I’m looking after one of them now because he asked me to do so. The woman has no husband or child. She almost killed herself but he picked her and was taking care of her. One other old woman was living with him. The woman is from Amokwe. When he left St Paul’s Amokwe, he decided to send the woman to the Old Peoples’ Home, run by the Little Sisters of The Poor.

But beyond his philanthropy, Fr Offu was also influential to the point of attracting a rural road infrastructure to his community, according to his brother, who noted that the road is still under construction.

“Fr Offu attracted a rural road that runs from Amaukwu village linking Amoka to Nsukka Expressway,” said Moses.

A retired principal of Army Day Secondary School Enugu, Mrs. Beatrice Ndubuisi, is late Fr Offu’s auntie, and on several occasions, as a child, he’d spent his holiday period with her.

Looking pensive, Mrs. Ndubuisi recalled that Fr Offu started showing keen interest in the things of God as a child.

“He grew up with my children. Even as a small child then, he would tell my children that God just created man for one purpose – to know him, serve him and do what pleases him; he said these are the only things that will send one to heaven.

“He would preach to my family that wealth, education are very good in the sense that they would prepare you to be ready materially but that the ultimate thing is for you to serve and see your God,” said the retired principal.

Mrs. Ndubuisi said it is very painful that he has left behind his 80-year-old mother, adding “Our mother was his mother, sister, friend, wife and everything put together.”

She appealed to the state government and the Catholic Church to “as often as possible come and console her” because “with Fr Paul’s death, her hands have been broken.”

Described as an intelligent, well-focused role model to the youth, the late cleric, who was born 49 years ago, hailed from Amaukwu, Okpatu in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu. His twin brother, Peter, was also in the seminary with him but dropped out when they were made deacons. Paul pursued his priestly ambition till he was ordained a Catholic priest.

The eldest brother, Moses, told Daily Trust Saturday that “He worked in a lot of parishes and never had any bad report from any of those parishes. His primary school education was at St Theresa’s Primary School, from where he proceeded to St John’s Seminary Nsukka and then to St Joseph’s Major Seminary, Ikot Ekpene. He was ordained a Catholic priest on 14th August 1999.

“He was a motivator, so encouraging and loving. His charity work was incomparable. He did not even bother about us; he was always talking about widows, Red Cross, charity homes, prisons, orphans; he believed that we are okay and so he should cater for the less fortunate ones. He is a true man of God and I believe he was destined to be a priest.

“He was given the title ‘Ezeudo’ which means king of peace at Ihe. When he was posted there, a lot of families had problems, with villages and communities being at loggerheads, but he was able to settle most of those nagging problems. That was why Ihe, as a community, awarded him that title ‘Ezeudo’ which he bore till death.

“After his ordination in 1999, he was posted to Holy Ghost Cathedral where he stayed for some years and from there to a church in Okpanku (I’ve forgotten the name of the parish). It was in a very remote area but he never said no. In his usual way of doing things, he went and was even attacked by robbers there. The roads were very bad, and his car got broken down often, yet he persisted.

“From there he was sent to St Mary’s Ihe, and then to St Paul’s Amaokwe in Udi. It was from St Paul’s that he was transferred to St James The Greater Ugbowka, which was his last station.”