Roman Catholic Priest kills himself with gun in Edo

Tragedy struck in Sobe community in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State as Catholic priest, Reverend Father Peter Ayala accidental shot and killed himself while cleaning his gun.Until his death, he was the priest in charge of Saint Thomas Moore Catholic Church, Sobe.
His congregation was thrown into confusion last Sunday morning when the priest who was to conduct the early morning mass was found dead in his apartment. Rev Ayala was yet to dress up for the 7 a.m. mass when the tragedy occurred.
It was gathered that the clergy man was cleaning his double-barrelled gun inside his apartment within the church premises, when the gun went off, killing him instantly.
Worshippers who had waited for the morning service to commence were said to have run in confusion and in different directions when they heard the sound of the gun.
Elders and mass servers of the church were said to be shocked when they forced the doors to the apartment of the priest open and found him lying lifeless in his blood.
The incident was immediately reported by the church elders to the Bishop of the Auchi Diocese, Dr. Gabriel Duniya, who later conducted a quick investigation with security agents and confirmed that the priest died when the rifle he was cleaning went off.
The Edo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Moses Eguavoen, described the incident as unfortunate, adding that the Command was yet to get the full details of what happened before the priest’s death.