Nigeria church attack families hold funeral mass

• 40 people killed in gun and bomb attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church.
• Official say attack was carried out by Islamic State West Africa Province. No group has claimed the June 5 attack.
• The attack drew international condemnation and was a rare occurrence in the normally safer southwest region.

Families of victims of a church attack earlier this month in southwest Nigeria held a funeral mass on Friday for the 40 people killed in the gun and bomb attack.

The attack on the Saint Francis Catholic Church in Ondo State drew international condemnation and was a rare occurrence in the country’s normally safer southwest region.

Officials say the June 5 attack was carried out by the Islamic State West Africa Province, despite the fact that the group is usually found in the country’s northeast, where a jihadist insurgency has been raging for more than a decade.

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Families gathered for a mass ceremony in a hall in Owo in Ondo State, with a line of coffins laid out before the congregation.

“We are here today for this service, the last service for those who were killed mindlessly on June 5,” Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu told the families.

“The good lord, he is the only who can console the families.”

One of the coffins had a pair of policeman’s boots placed on top for the officer who was killed.

Some families had already buried their relatives, others were to carry out burials after the ceremony.

No group has claimed the attack.

Police said gunmen hid among worshippers inside the church during a Sunday service and others also opened fire on the congregation from outside.

At least one blast detonated inside the church and three unexploded improvised explosive devices were also found.

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A priest conducting the service told AFP some worshippers hid in the vestry with others, including children, for about 20 minutes before emerging to carnage.

The attack drew widespread condemnation from around the world, including from Pope Francis.

Nigeria’s military and police are fighting jihadist groups in the northeast, criminal gangs in the northwest and centre, and separatist violence in the southeast on multiple fronts.