Like the flood, the Catholic priest swept away, another in Niger

The parish priest of the Catholic Church of Sant’Antonio, Gulu, Lapai Lga, the reverend Father James Omeh and a woman, charity John, were killed by the flood.

Rev. P. Omeh was also coordinator of the Christian Association of Nigeria (Can) in Lapai Lga.

Sources reported to Daily Trust that the accident occurred following a strong downpour on Sunday afternoon which swept away the Hilux white vehicle in which Rev. P. Omeh and Charity John were traveling along the Lapai-Gulu road near a river.

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A source said Rev. P. Omeh was traveling to Gulu around 12 when he discovered that the Lapai-Gulu bridge had collapsed near the village of Duma. As he turned to return to Duma, he was captured in a torrential downpour that caused flooding waters rapidly, which washed off his Hilux van.

“Rev. Fr. Omeh, who was driving a white hilux, was swept away by the flood in a deep and water moat. Local volunteers, with the assistance of Sarkin Ruwa, subsequently recovered the vehicle. Unfortunately, the lifeless bodies of the Rev. Fr. Omeh and a woman were recovered on the scene”, he narrated.

The residents told our correspondent that the deplorable condition of the Lapai-Gulu road continued to raise concerns, pushing the requests of urgent interventions to protect the life of commuters who regularly use the path.

The spokesman for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Inhabitun, confirmed the accident to our correspondent.

He said that the lifeless bodies of the victims had been recovered and delivered to the Church for burial.

“On May 25, 2025, around 13:00, information was received that the Rev. Fr. James Omeh of the Catholic Church of Sant’Antonio Gulu via Lapai and a charity John were heading towards the village of Gulu in a white Toyota Hilux vehicle, according to what reported were swept away by an flooded flow due to the heavy frame and fled.

“The police officers connected to Lapai Div moved to the scene, the bodies of the victims were recovered with the help of the members of the community and released to the church for the burial, while the vehicle was towed by the stream,” explained inhabitants.

The Lapai-Gulu road is a traffic path that connects the states of the Niger and Kogi.