Church urges caution over priest's death

Catholic Bishop of Auchi Diocese, Edo State,
Gabriel Dunia, has urged restraint in reports
of the death of one of the priests of the
diocese, Rev. Fr. Peter Ayala.
Ayala was found dead on Sunday in his
apartment inside the St. Thomas Moore
Catholic Church, Sobe, in Owan West Local
Government Area of the state.
He was said to have been cleaning his
double-barrel when the gun went off and
killed him. Some reports (not The PUNCH)
stated that the deceased might have
committed suicide.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday,
Dunia, urged the public not to be hasty in
arriving at conclusions.
He said, rather, they should wait for the
autopsy result on the matter before
probable cause of death could be
ascertained.
He said, "Although the body of Rev. Fr. Peter
Ayala was found lying lifeless in a pool of
blood with a locally manufactured gun and a
big spanner on the floor, they were only
parts of the clues to ascertain more
authentic proofs of what had led to the
death.
"Whatever must have been stated by
anybody hitherto were probabilities in as
much as expert examinations could prove
otherwise. For all others who are prone to
engage in some innuendos as regard
Ayala's death, I wish to caution so that they
keep in mind that death is death whatever
way and manner it occurs. It should not
constitute an occasion for derision,
uncharitable assumptions and calumnies
against the living, the dead or both."
A source close to the deceased however
said some people suspected foul play in
Ayala's death.