Nigeria: Gunmen attack Catholic church in Ondo state

• Gunmen slaughtered worshippers at a Catholic church in Nigeria.
• Nigeria experienced an increase in violence, with kidnappings and attacks recorded around the country.
• Several worshippers in Ondo were seized by the militants.

According to the governor of Ondo state in south-west Nigeria, gunmen slaughtered worshippers at a Catholic church.

It was a “vile and diabolical attack” on innocent people, according to Arakunrin Akeredolu.

During a Sunday service, armed men stormed the church of St Francis Xavier in the town of Owo.

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In recent months, Nigeria experienced an increase in violence, with kidnappings and attacks recorded around the country.

According to accounts, several of the worshippers in Ondo were seized by the militants. There is no reliable data for the number of people slain or kidnapped.

According to the Reuters news agency, “many worshippers were brought in dead” by a doctor at a local hospital.

Governor Akeredolu pleaded for calm in a series of tweets, saying that people should not “take laws into their own hands.”

“Security officers would be dispatched to monitor Owo kingdom and restore normalcy,” he added.

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