By Our Reporter
A middle-aged young man has been beaten to death for stealing church offerings at St. Mary’s Catholic Parish, Eha-Alumona, Nsukka, Enugu State in Nigeria.
The deceased, Chinedu Ugwuodo, with one other now at large was caught right inside the Parish Priest apartment ransacking the entire place, hauling a good amount of money into his pocket unknown to him that his colleague have escaped through the fence when the parish stewards and other attendants noticed an unusual human movement.
Crime Guard gathered that the unrepentant thief was alleged to be a habitual thief who had severally stolen the church offerings by worshipers at St. Mary’s Parish.
When apprehended in the act, the suspect was beaten to pulp and handed over to police who in turn asked the worshipers to take him to hospital for medical attention before carrying out investigations into the matter.
He was driven to Bishop Shanahan hospital, Nsukka in company of agile policemen in case the worshipers decide to dump him on the way.
He reportedly died few hours after arriving at the hospital. Crime Guard gathered that the deceased had a previous stealing case pending in the police but continued to tamper with church offerings while worshipers vowed to catch him in the act.
It was learnt that when the suspect, with one other culprit now at large were caught by the worshipers, they scaled the high fence wall but the deceased was not that lucky as he was over powered while his colleague escaped.
A parish source told Crime Guard that he made confessional statement to the police admitting that he has been stealing from the coffers of the church and a large amount of money was recovered from him.
The spokesman of the Catholic Diocese, Nsukka, Rev. Fr. Simon Ukwueze who is also the Director, Justice and Peace of the diocese, disclosed that three stewards of St. Mary’s parish who were earlier arrested in connection with the death of the thief has been released after questioning at State Criminal Investigations Department, C.I.D, Enugu.