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Dozens of people died of fear in church attack in Owo, Nigeria


LAGOS, Nigeria – Dozens of people are believed to have died after attackers attacked a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria on Sunday, opening fire on worshipers as they celebrated Mass, according to officials. local authority.

The attack at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, was the deadliest attack on a church in Nigeria in years, and brought the kind of violence commonly found in the north of the country to an area. relatively peaceful area of ​​Africa’s most populous country. .

The attack happened on Pentecost Sunday when dozens of worshipers were gathering at the church. According to police, at least four attackers entered the building.

It is the first time a church has been attacked in Ondo state in recent years, bringing a new sense of insecurity to a state that has not experienced the same levels of violence elsewhere in Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who has promised to end Nigeria’s insecurity, condemned the attack as an “act of cowardice”.

As of Sunday night, there was no statement of responsibility and the motive for the massacre was unclear.

Most attacks on churches are in the north, but they have become less frequent than during the height of the Boko Haram insurgency around 2015. In the southwest, where the attack church on Sundays, frequent kidnappings. by herders seeking ransom, and there have been conflicts with herders over new restrictions on free grazing.

Officials are still assessing the extent of damage from Sunday’s attack. Videos posted on social media showed bodies lying in a pool of blood between the pews of the church.

Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, the majority leader of the Ondo National Assembly, went to the scene of the massacre and said he had seen at least 20 people dead, including many children. He estimated the death toll to be 70 to 100.

Adelegbe Timileyin, a federal lawmaker representing the Owo region, told the Associated Press that at least 50 people were killed.

The attack comes amid rising economic and social tensions in Nigeria, where frequent murders and kidnappings have increased feelings of insecurity and deep resentment towards the previous government. The next presidential election is scheduled for February.

As Mass continued around 11:30 a.m., armed assailants opened fire on worshipers from outside the church while other gunmen targeted those inside the building, police said. in a statement on Sunday night.

“It was a dark Sunday in Owo,” said the governor of Ondo, Arakunrin Akeredolu, condemn a “vile and corrupting attack” against those who “have enjoyed relative peace over the years.”

Nigeria is roughly divided between Christians who live mainly in the south and Muslims who live in the north of the country.

Much of the violence perpetrated in Nigeria, such as murder and kidnapping, mostly occurs in the northwest and central parts of the country.

Last month, gunmen killed dozens in the central state of Plateau, and in April eight people were killed and dozens kidnapped. on a popular train route connects the capital Abuja with the regional center of Kaduna in the north.

The attack, on a route that authorities boast is a safe alternative to the highway where kidnappings by robbers is common, angered many Nigerians, who blamed for Mr. Buhari because he could not stop the increase in violence.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the train attack. Authorities said elements of the terror group Boko Haram collaborated with local bandits to carry out the attack. Dozens of passengers are still being held hostage by the kidnappers.

Waves of violence have occasionally flared up between the country’s Muslims and Christians. Last month, a Christian student was beaten to death and her body burned after other students accused her of sending blasphemous messages about the Prophet Muhammad in a WhatsApp group chat.

Last week, a man was killed and burned to death in Abuja after an argument with a Muslim cleric, police said. In late May, the head of Nigeria’s Methodist Church was kidnapped and released a few days later after Methodist officials said they had paid the ransom.

On the Sunday following the attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church, Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo, also warned of vigilance in response.

Ben Ezeamalu reported from Lagos, Nigeria, and Elian Peltier from Dakar, Senegal.





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