President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state, where many people were killed.
In a statement released on Sunday June 5, 2022, by his spokesperson Femi Adesina, Buhari said “only fiends from the nether region could have conceived and carried out such a dastardly act”.
President Buhari also condoled with the families of the deceased, the Ondo state government and the Catholic community.
Details of Shootings
Bandits reportedly killed over 50 persons in an attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Apart from worshippers, the bandits also killed some passerby hit by stray bullets.
Witnesses said the attack occurred during the church’s Sunday service.
The witnesses said the gunmen stormed the church during service and started shooting sporadically.
A source said the incident caused pandemonium in the area as residents in the neighborhood of the church ran for safety.
Another source said it was some herdsmen that allegedly attacked the church and killed worshippers.
It is worth noting that the church which was attack is less than 200meters away from the palace of Olowo of Owo.
Another source said it was an explosion that rocked the church, killing many people.
According to so reports, the injured and the dead were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre Owo, for medical attention.
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of FMC, Owo, Dr Liasu Adeagbo, noted that many medical personnel were deployed to cater for the injured persons.
Meanwhile, a nurse at Owo, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was not enough medical personnel on ground to attend to the victims at the emergency unit of the hospital. She said many of the victims were taken to a private hospital.
A health worker on duty at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, where the casualties were taken to said over 50 people had been taken to the hospital, saying some were dead already while some were still alive.
He said, “They are still bringing people to the hospital, some have been confirmed dead while some are still breathing. But for now I can’t specify the number of those that died”.
A source in palace speaking on the issue disclosed that the whole area was enveloped with tension and panic.
According to him, “the church that was attacked was at the back of the palace and we are still wondering how gunmen could carry out such an attack at the central eye of the town. This is unbelievable. Kabiyesi (the Chief) would soon issue a statement on the incident”.
Meanwhile, some security personnels were deployed to investigate the situation.
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