The catholic community in Onitsha Archdiocese was on Thursday thrown into mourning following the reported death of the Director of Social Communications, Rev. Fr Pius Uchenna Ukor.

Fr Ukor, a happy and easy going priest also in charge of the Onitsha Archdiocesan and who owned a newspaper, Trinitas,  reportedly  slumped and died in a football pitch in Asaba Delta State Wednesday evening while coaching a football match between the catholic priests of Onitsha Archdiocese and Issele Uku diocese.

The death has also been confirmed on the verified Facebook page of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN

The statement from the page said: “Just yesterday, Onitsha Archdiocese lost one of her priests to death. Rev Fr Pius Ukor slumped in the stadium at Asaba while the Archdiocesan priests were playing a football match with the Issele-Uku Diocesan priests.  He was a bit resuscitated by the nurses and rushed to the FMC hospital in Asaba but on reaching there, he was confirmed dead.

“Until his death Fr Pius was the editor of the Archdiocesan Newspaper; Trinitas Newspaper as well as the Director of communication for the Archdiocese. He hails from Umuoji, Anambra State”

The Press Secretary to the Archbishop Valerian Okeke, Rev. Fr Benjamin Ogbunko, did not pick his call when the reporter called his line but a staff of Trinitas, Abraham Chukwuebuka, confirmed the sad development and said the entire Trinitas Communications team were still in shock over the priest’s sudden demise.

He left the office at the secretariat on Wednesday afternoon for Asaba to participate in the football match only for us to hear the sad news” he said.