Gunmen opened fire on a Catholic church in Owo, Nigeria’s South West Ondo state, on Sunday morning, killing more than 52 people and injured many more.
The attackers are said to have assaulted St. Francis Catholic Church with homemade explosives, then entered the church and began shooting at people during the service due to the chaos.
At least 52 bodies were taken from the church to the Federal Medical Centre in Owo, as well as other injured worshippers.
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Locals criticized the attack as a video of the incident and the casualties inside the church went viral on social media.
The attackers were claimed to have fled the site as soon as the horrific act was carried out.
Boko Haram fashion
Boko Haram terrorists were known for attacking and killing worshippers in churches, but no such occurrence has been recorded since 2015.
The incident at Owo on June 6 is the first of its kind in South West Nigeria, which had previously been quite tranquil.
Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo state, confirmed the tragedy and expressed his sincere sorrow over the unjustified attack and killing of innocent persons.
“The heinous and demonic act is a premeditated strike against the Owo kingdom’s peace-loving people, who have enjoyed relative peace throughout the years.
Sunday was a bleak day.
“In Owo, it’s a dreary Sunday. Our hearts are laden with sorrow. The enemies of the people have targeted our calm and tranquility. This is a personal tragedy, as well as an attack on our beloved state.”
He claimed to have talked with Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, who was on his way to Owo.
“Similarly, I had to cancel my party’s national assignment in Abuja in order to get to Owo right away.
“This is a surprising turn of events. To say the least, I’m stunned. Nonetheless, we will devote every possible resource to tracking down and punishing these perpetrators.
“In our determination to cleanse our state of criminals, we will never yield to the schemes of callous individuals,” he stated.
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He encouraged Owo residents to be calm and watchful.
“Take care not to take the law into your own hands. I’ve met with the chiefs of the security services. “I’ve also been promised that security officers would be dispatched to monitor and restore normalcy to the kingdom of Owo,” he said.
