Gunmen attacked a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria during Sunday Mass and killed at least 50 people, including women and children.
Key points:
- The identity and motive of the attackers were not immediately clear
- Attacks like this are rare in southwestern Nigeria
- The Vatican said Pope Francis was praying for the victims
Several Nigerian media outlets reported that gunmen had fired on the faithful and detonated explosives at St. Francis Catholic Church in the city of Owo.
The identity and motive of the attackers were not immediately clear.
Funmilayo Ibukun Odunlami, a spokesman for Ondo State Police, said police would issue another statement soon.
“It is so sad that while Holy Mass was being celebrated, unknown gunmen attacked St. Francis Catholic Church … leaving many feared dead and many others injured and the church raped,” the church spokesman said. Catholic in Nigeria, the Rev. Augustine Ikwu.
Rev. Ikwu said the bishop and parish priests had survived the attack unharmed.
However, the presiding priest was abducted, said Adelegbe Timileyin, who represents the Owo area in Nigeria’s lower house.
“Our hearts are heavy,” Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu tweeted on Sunday.
“Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people.”
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A doctor at an Owo hospital told Reuters that at least 50 bodies had been taken to two hospitals in the city after the attack.
The doctor, who declined the name because he was not authorized to speak to the press, also said blood had to be donated to treat the injured.
President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack, calling it “hateful”.
The Vatican said Pope Francis was praying for victims who had been “painfully affected at a time of celebration.”
Nigeria is fighting an Islamist insurgency in the northeast and armed gangs carrying out attacks and kidnappings for a ransom, mainly in the northwest.
In the southwest, attacks like this are rare.
Akeredolu shortened a trip to the capital Abuja and returned to Ondo after the attack.
“We will commit all available resources to hunt down these aggressors and make them pay,” he said in a statement.
Reuters / AP