Godwin Izundu Nmezinwa Okpala is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Okpala was Bishop of Nnewi and Archbishop of the Niger Province from 2018, retiring from both posts in 2019. He was the first Bishop of Nnewi, consecrated in 1996 at All Saints Cathedral,

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

. He had previously been

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

of Nnewi for Nnewi Diocese; he was elected at Sabongidda-Ora on 28 November 1995 for the Diocese of Nnewi, consecrated at the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Wuse,

on 11 February 1996, and enthroned on 14 February 1996 at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Uruagu Nnewi. On 6 December 2024, Okpala and his driver went missing on the way to

Umuchu Umuchu is one of the largest towns in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Umuchu lies near the state border between Anambra and Imo States. It is connected by road to Umunze in the east and Igbo-Ukwu in the northwest. It is ho ...

for a funeral. They were driving through an area where there have been attacks on travelers and kidnappings. He is believed to have been abducted, but later resurfaced.

References

Living people Anglican bishops of Nnewi Anglican archbishops of the Niger 21st-century Anglican archbishops 21st-century Anglican bishops in Nigeria Year of birth missing (living people) Church of Nigeria archdeacons {{Nigeria-Anglican-bishop-stub