In a shocking act of violence that has stirred outrage and fear across the region, unidentified gunmen stormed St. Andrews Anglican Church in Isiokwe, Lilu community, within the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, in the early hours of Sunday, December 7, 2025. The attackers opened fire as worshippers were preparing for service, killing two people including the wife of the resident cleric while injuring several others.
Eyewitnesses described mayhem: heavy gunfire, people running for safety, and the swift arson of the church premises. By Monday, when journalists visited the site, they found charred remains of the cleric’s residence, burnt-out vehicles, scattered personal effects, and part of the church building reduced to ashes. The scene was deserted residents reportedly too afraid to return after the brutal attack.
The victim was identified as the wife of the priest reportedly named Venerable Obiese who narrowly escaped the onslaught. According to one resident: “They shot indiscriminately and set properties ablaze the priest’s house, church vehicles, parts of the church building. The church’s regular services have now been suspended indefinitely as the community reels from shock and grief.
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the attack. Via its Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the command condemned the “heinous and abominable act,” describing it as an assault on innocent worshippers, the community’s peace, and the freedom of worship. The state’s Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has reportedly ordered an immediate security response: joint-security teams have been deployed, surveillance intensified, and intelligence-led operations launched across affected areas. Residents have been urged to remain calm and cooperate with investigations, providing any useful information to help track down the perpetrators.
Local residents say the attack has exacerbated an already fragile sense of security in Lilu. The community, part of a border zone between Anambra and neighbouring Imo states, has endured recurring threats and violence over recent years. Many residents had hoped for calm only to be plunged back into terror. Civil-society and human-rights observers, including Amnesty International, have condemned the brutal assault and called for a full, transparent investigation into how armed assailants were allowed to carry out such an attack on a place of worship, and for accountability for security lapses.
As the dawn of Monday revealed a landscape of ruin and mourning, the people of Lilu community are left grappling with fear, loss, and uncertainty. The attack on a church a sanctuary of faith and hope has laid bare the precariousness of peace in areas long plagued by insecurity, and raised pressing questions about protection of civilians, especially religious communities, in parts of Nigeria beset by rising violence.
Published by Dalena Reporters.