Church attack kills 50 in Nigeria: Local media says gunmen fired at worshippers and detonated explosives

Local media says gunmen fired at worshippers and detonated explosives

Identity and motive of attackers were not immediately clear: Twitter/@ARISEtv

Reuters   |   Abuja   |    06.06.22  : At least 50 people were killed and others injured after gunmen attacked a Catholic church in Nigeria’s Ondo state during mass on Sunday, a doctor and local media reported.

 A doctor at a hospital in Owo, a town in the state in Nigeria’s southwest, told Reuters that no fewer than 50 bodies had been moved to the FMC (Federal Medical Center) in Owo and to St Louis Catholic Hospital.

President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack, calling it “heinous”. The identity and motive of the attackers were not immediately clear.

 Local media said gunmen had fired at worshippers and detonated explosives at the church. Those killed included women and children.

 Funmilayo Ibukun Odunlami, police spokesperson for Ondo state, only said that there had been an incident at the Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo and the police would issue a further statement soon.

Ondo governor Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu cut short a trip to capital Abuja and returned to Ondo after the attack. “We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay,” he said.