Nigeria:Gunmen kill 50 Catholic worshippers in Ondo

In Nigeria,gunmen attacked a Catholic church during mass on Sunday, killing at least 50 people including women and children, according to local reports. The violence took place at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo town in Ondo State, Nigeria, as worshippers met on Pentecost Sunday. According to a statement by Akeredolu, a meeting of commanders of Amotekun, a state-backed regional vigilante has been convened, for joint operations across the southwest. Security forces say they have ordered a forensic investigation into the attack to investigate the actual or remote causes “and for immediate arrest of the assailants. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said “only fiends from the nether region could have conceived and carried out such dastardly act,” according to a statement from his spokesman. “No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome light. Nigeria will eventually win,” said Buhari, who was elected after promising to end Nigeria’s prolonged security crisis. Ondo Governor Akeredolu, who visited the scene of the attack and injured people in hospital, described Sunday’s incident as “a great massacre” that should not be allowed to happen again,

What happened today is tragic. No better way to qualify it. It is the most tragic event! Horrific! What we have seen in America is a child play to what has happened here. That it happened in a church, to say the least, is most condemnable. I feel terribly sad. pic.twitter.com/f2NVh1tzZZ

— Arakunrin Akeredolu (@RotimiAkeredolu) June 5, 2022

According to local news agency, the gunmen first detonated explosives near the church altar before firing at the worshipers and killing scores of them on the spot. The official said it is difficult to put a number to the casualties, as security operatives rushed to the scene to rescue worshippers. The injured victims were rushed to a government-run hospital in Owo town. There has been no claim of responsibility and the motive for the massacre was still unclear. Nigeria has experienced an upsurge in violence in recent months.Kidnappings and attacks have been reported across the vast country.The church has denied initial reports that the priest had been abducted.  People across the country are worried over the inability of the government to tackle the rising levels of insecurity.