According to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, armed men opened fire inside a church in Owo, in the state of Ondo, Nigeria which is located in the country’s southwestern region. One of the worst incidents of Gun violence in the country.
He went on to call the armed attackers demons from the underworld, saying that “only fiends from the nether region” could have carried out such a deed, when the church was attacked in Owo, Nigeria.
During the course of the Sunday service at St. Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo, the armed attackers invaded the building.
According to witnesses, the assailants opened fire on worshippers, the congregation before taking hostage a priest and a number of other people who were inside the church in southwestern Nigeria.
In recent weeks, there has been a rise in the number of violent incidents in Nigeria.
Reports of kidnappings and assaults have come in from all corners of this huge country.
There has been no confirmation of any information regarding the number of people slain or taken captive during Sunday’s violence.
However, according to Reuters, a doctor at a local hospital stated that “many worshippers were brought in dead.”
A state lawmaker named Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole, who visited both the church and the hospital after the attack, confirmed to the Associated Press news agency that several of the victims were youngsters.
Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu condemned the incident, describing it as a ” vile and satanic attack” on innocent people, in a series of tweets. He pleaded with people to remain calm and discouraged them from taking the law into their own hands.
He vowed to spare any and every resource to aid the hunt of said attackers by saying, ” We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay.”
In a statement, President Buhari said that “No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people,” despite the challenges that lie ahead.
It is the last year of his two terms as president, and he has been criticized for not being able to get a handle on the nation’s various security issues throughout that time.
Although no one has claimed responsibility for this incident, armed groups in Nigeria are becoming increasingly violent, according to reports. However, the state of Ondo had, up until this point, remained in a largely undisturbed state.
It has been exactly one week since the head of the Methodist Church in Nigeria and two other priests were kidnapped in the southeastern part of the country.
The Methodist priest stated that he purchased their freedom with a payment of $ 240 thousand.
Two Catholic priests were taken hostage around two weeks ago in Katsina, which is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari and is located in the north of the country. They have not been made available to the public.
At least nine people were killed and dozens more were taken hostage when terrorists attacked a crucial rail link in March, connecting the capital city of Abuja to the city of Kaduna in the country’s north. Many of the hostages are still being held.
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