Nigerian Reverend Father Dies in Fatal Accident As His Car Falls into River While Going To Church

• A Catholic priest has died after his car fell into a river when he was going to church in Niger state
• According to the story, it was raining heavily, and the priest defied the rain and was driving to a church
• While attempting to cross a river, the bridge was said to have caved in, and his car fell into the river, leading to his death

A Nigerian Catholic priest has passed on after he was involved in an accident when he was going to church.

According to the story, which was shared on social media, the priest works with the Minna Diocese of the Catholic church.

In a post made on X by Ugochukwu Ugwoke, the priest was identified as Reverend Father James Omeh.

According to the post, it was raining on Sunday, May 26, but the priest decided to defy the rain and still drive to church.

He was said to have attempted to cross a bridge, but the bridge collapsed, causing his car to fall into the river.

The story goes:

"I just read the devastating news of REV. FR. JAMES OMEH, a priest of Minna Diocese Nigeria. It was raining yesterday and since it was a Sunday, he didn't want the rain to deprive his parishioners the opportunity to attend Mass. So, he set out for Mass under the rain and on the way, the bridge he was crossing on caved in and his vehicle fell into the river. Sadly, the priest didn't survive it. He died in active service to God and humanity. May his soul find rest in the Lord."

Many people who read the story took to the comment section to mourn the departed priest.

See the post below:

Reactions as priest dies while going to church

@eLanBalmy said

"God saves those who save themselves, if the roads are good, drainage working properly and that bridge built very strong this sad incident would have been avoided. These are human responsibility."

@Oomiinc said:

"Heart of a Man of God.. only God understand the sacrifice they make. I know some online commentators and judges won't understand. RIP Sir."

@Chukwunonyerem9 said:

"This is really sad. One of the many tragedies of irresponsible government. May God grant his soul and others who died with him eternal repose in His Bosom! Tragic."

@MappingReveals said:

"Bad roads, bad bridge infrastructure, no emergency and rescue services, no ambulance service. This death was so avoidable! RIP Fr."

@betacuntri said:

"May his soul rest in peace. The rural areas are only remembered when it's election time. No good infrastructure or access to good roads, yet Nigerians are overtaxed."

Father reacts to priest's death

The priest who shared the news on X responded to a man who said that the cleric died because God had failed him. He said:

"The government that is supposed to provide quality infrastructure failed him. One of the reasons why we don't grow as a people is that we spiritualize all our problems and blame all our woes on God."

Recent road deaths in Nigeria

In 2023, 5,081 fatal road accidents were recorded, which was a 21% decrease from 2022, with 10,617 crashes, Vanguard reports.

The year 2024 saw a 7% increase in road fatalities, with 5,421 deaths. This was, however, with a 10% reduction in road crashes.

BusinessDay gathered that the increase in deaths despite reduced crash rate is connected to fatigue, overloading, dangerous driving, and speeding.

According to AP, a large number of the deaths in 2024 are connected with people scooping fuel from fallen tankers. A total number of 411 deaths (7.6%) were recorded from such.

Priest explains meaning of papal cap

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian Catholic priest has taken time to explain the meaning of the papal cap worn by an AI version of Donald Trump in a trending photo.

Donald Trump had shared the AI-generated photo on his Truth Social Platform, and it quickly went viral online.

In reaction, Reverend Father Kelvin Ugwu said the cap on Trump's head has deep meaning, noting that it is worn by the pope, bishops and cardinals.

Joseph Omotayo, the HoD of the Human Interest Desk, contributed to this report, adding stats of road fatalities in Nigeria from 2022 to 2024.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng