Information reaching the executive office of the OWARCH NEWS AGENCY indicates that Bishop Peter Nworie Chukwu of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki in Nigeria has passed on after less than five years of Episcopal Ministry. Our reporter from Ebonyi state has it that the 60-year-old third Local Ordinary of the Suffragan Diocese of Onitsha Metropolitan See died on Friday, April 10, 2026. In a statement issued last Saturday, April 11, Fr. Donatus Oluwa Chukwu appealed for spiritual solidarity with the late Catholic Bishop, saying, “Please keep the Bishop and the Diocese in your prayers.”
“Funeral arrangements will be announced later,” Fr. Donatus added, and went on to implore, “May the soul of Bishop Peter Nworie Chukwu and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen”
The Vicar General’s one-page notification announcing the death of the Nigerian Catholic Bishop does not indicate the cause. However, some reports indicate that Bishop Peter died from health complications after an unsuccessful surgical procedure.
Following the news of the passing on of Bishop Nworie, members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) have eulogized him as a “devoted Shepherd whose goal was the revitalization of the pastoral and social mission of the Diocese of Abakaliki.”
“He was deeply committed to Catholic Social Teaching, with the conviction that the Church has a role to play in moral leadership, education, and the defense of the human person,” CBCN members say in a statement issued April 11.
They note that Bishop Chukwu’s life “was a radiant expression of docility to the will of God, and this was manifested in his Episcopal motto ‘Totus Tuus Ego Sum,’ which means ‘I am totally yours’, which was his personal declaration of total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
“His humility, compassion, and dedication to serve both God and the people entrusted to his care reflect a synthesis of both spiritual devotion and pastoral sensitivity,” CBCN members say.
They implore, “May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace, and may the Risen Lord who conquered death grant him eternal life in His kingdom. Amen.”
He was appointed Local Ordinary of Abakaliki Diocese in July 2021 and consecrated Bishop in August 2021.
Our media crew gathered that until his death, he was the CBCN Assistant Secretary.
In January 2023, the late Bishop Peter demonstrated his pastoral humility by declining the Maiden State of Honors award 2022 Commander, Ebonyi Hall of Fame (CEHF), which he was being offered by Ebonyi State government.
The Ebonyi State Hall of Fame is a recognition initiative intended to honour indigenes and residents who have distinguished themselves in various fields and contributed to the development and prestige of the southeastern Nigerian state.
In a statement addressed to the then Governor of Ebonyi State, David Nweze Umahi, and published on Facebook on 4 January 2023, Bishop Chukwu acknowledged the gesture with gratitude but explained that he did not consider himself deserving of the honour so soon after assuming office. “I am pleasantly surprised that I was selected for such a prestigious honour by your government,” he wrote, adding that he was grateful to the governor “for deeming me fit for the award.”
However, the Nigerian Catholic Bishop under the presidency of Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji said he preferred to decline the recognition, citing his short time as Local Ordinary of Abakaliki Diocese. He explained, “Your Excellency, I wish to respectfully decline this award. I am barely one year in office. I am still struggling to fit into the high demands of the ecclesiastical office of the Bishop.”
Instead, Bishop Chukwu proposed that the award be given to his predecessor, Bishop Michael Nnachi Okoro, whom he praised for decades of service.
“I feel that I have not achieved much as to deserve an award. If I may suggest, I would rather wish that this award be bestowed on my predecessor, Most Rev. Michael Nnachi Okoro, for his long and meritorious service to God and humanity,” he stated.
In the same message, Bishop Chukwu also appealed to the Nigerian Governor to consider addressing the legal challenges facing one of his Priests, Fr. Timothy Ngwuta.”
Rather than receiving the honour himself, he said he would prefer that the state government initiate “actions that would facilitate the termination of murder and sundry charges against my priest, Rev. Fr. Timothy Ngwuta.”
“Accept Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest esteem and regards as you pilot the affairs of the State,” Bishop Chukwu stated in his January 2023 statement to Governor Umahi, adding, “Be assured of my constant prayers for you, your government, and the good people of our dear State.”
We also gathered that during a Eucharistic celebration marking the inauguration of the Catholic Media Practitioners Association (CAMPAN) in his Episcopal See, the late Bishop Chukwu urged Catholic journalists to report “actual events,” emphasizing the importance of truth and fairness “no matter who is touched.”
In his homily at the 5 September 2022 event, he cautioned against an excessive focus on prominent figures, encouraging journalists to pay attention to marginalized communities. “While there is the temptation to focus on prominent persons, it is also good to reach out to the poor, those in the rural areas, those who have no voice of their own and your reportage will instigate change and transformation,” he said.
Bishop Chukwu further challenged Catholic journalists to carry out their professional responsibilities “with forthrightness, with sound mind, courage, and with respect for the dignity of human persons.”
Emphasizing the ethical demands of media work, he added, “We need men and women of integrity in the media sector,” and urged Catholic journalists in his Episcopal See: “Live the life of the truth; let your news reportage be for the benefit of the poor and the downtrodden.”
