A Catholic priest Rev. Father Peter Ayala, was on Sunday morning found dead in his apartment inside the St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church, Sobe, in Owan West Local council area of Edo State.

The deceased who was expected to conduct the morning mass at 7am was said to be cleaning his double-barreled gun inside his apartment within the church premises, when the gun reportedly went off and killed him.

The Nation gathered that the incident took place in the early hours of Sunday before the priest dressed up for the mass, while worshippers were gathering for the worship service.

The development threw the church into confusion as both mass servers and church elders made frantic efforts to rescue the priest who was lying prostrate in his apa