Nairobi (Fides Service) - In a official statement from the Bishops’ House signed by the Bishop Cornelius Schilder Ngong diocese announced the brutal murder of an Irish missionary Father John Hannon: “It is with deep sorrow that the Diocese of Ngong announces the brutal murder of Rev Fr John Francis Hannon, parish priest of St Barnabas Catholic Church Matasia-Ngong.
A gang of 20 people broke into Fr Hannon's house at around midnight on Wednesday 24 November 2004 after tying up the watchman. Apparently the gang engaged Fr Hannon in a struggle and he attempted to escape. They may have followed him from the house into the front of an unfinished Social Hall in the church compound, where his mutilated body was found in the early hours of the morning.”
. The statement speaks of great insecurity in the area “people live daily with fears for their lives. Unless the government takes drastic measures to improve the security of the people we are very anxious about the safety of the members of the community.”
Fr John Hannon was born in Ireland on 22 April 1939. He was ordained priest in the Society of African Missions (SMA), on 18/12/1967 in Ireland. He has worked in Nigeria and Kenya. In Kenya he has worked in Jericho, Noonkopir/ Kitengela, and finally at Matasia-Ngong. According to the Society for African Missions, of which the murdered priests was a member: “Father Hannon was in the process of completing a Parish Hall at Matasia and had initiated a €14,000 project to equip the hall as a Training Centre. He had a long and proven record in the building of centres for training and education of young people in practical skills. His work in recent times was among the Maasai people. Fr John saw the need for skills training of young women in areas like domestic economy, secretarial work, hair dressing, sewing and knitting as crucial for their dignity and livelihood.”(L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 26/11/2004 righe 32 parole 368)