By Igho Akeregha, Seyi Odewale, Deborah Onyofufeke, Linus Aleke, Cross Udo, and Oludamisi Ojo
Pandemonium, grief, tears, and sorrow yesterday gripped and shattered the peaceful ancient Owo, Kingdom in Ondo State as gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, attacked St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, killing many worshippers.

While it was a replica of Thomas Steams Eliot’s’ 1935 ‘Murder in the Cathedral’ fable, which referred to the gruesome murder of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury in the city’s cathedral, and desecrating of the church, yesterday’s incident in Owo was not only desecrating but sacrilegious as a countless number of innocent worshippers were sent to the great beyond.

The gunmen invaded the church while the Sunday service was on, opened fire on the congregation and killed many, and injured over 100 worshippers.

The congregation was said to have been caught unaware in an attack that left all of them running for their lives and witnesses revealed that casualty figures might be more as some others reportedly taken to the hospital were said to have given up.

The state Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, (SAN), immediately reacted to the killings through his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, saying he is “deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and the killing of innocent people of Owo, worshiping at the St Francis Catholic Church”.

Akeredolu, who reportedly ‘wept’ said, “The vile and satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of the Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years.

“It is a black Sunday in Owo. Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquillity have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state.

Don’t close American embassy, U.S. ambassador tells Russia

“I have spoken to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, who is presently on his way to Owo. Similarly, I have had to cut short my party’s national assignment in Abuja and visit Owo immediately,” the statement added.

The governor described the attack as an unexpected development adding: “I am shocked, to say the least. Nevertheless, we shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay. We shall never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in our resolve to rid our state of criminals.”

While commiserating with the people of Owo, particularly the families of those who lost their lives in the attack, Akeredolu extended his condolences to the Olowo of Owo, Oba Gbadegesin Ogunoye, and the Catholic Church.

“I urge our people to remain calm and vigilant. Do not take laws into your hands. I have spoken to the heads of security agencies. I have equally been assured that security operatives would be deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom.” Akeredolu said.

•How gunmen from hell massacre, injure over 100 worshippers in Ondo Church
One of the priests at the St Francis Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Andrew Abayomi, narrated how the church was attacked in an interview with the BBC Yoruba.

He said the gunmen attacked as the day’s service was coming to an end.

Abayomi said, “We were about to round off service. I had even asked people to start leaving, that was how we started hearing gunshots from different angles.”

“We hid inside the church, but some people had left when the attack happened. We locked ourselves in the church for 20 minutes. When we heard that they had left, we opened the church and rushed victims to the hospital.”

Meanwhile, the Ondo State government has vowed to hunt down the attackers. According to him, the attack was “vile and satanic”, adding that it was a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of the Owo Kingdom who had enjoyed relative peace over the years.

Narrating further, he said: “It is a black Sunday in Owo. Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquillity have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state. I have spoken to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, who is presently on his way to Owo. Similarly, I have had to cut short my party’s national assignment in Abuja and visit Owo immediately.”

•Buhari, CAN, others condole Ondo
Nigerians have been condemning the dastardly act while condoling families and relatives of the victims. President Muhammadu Buhari in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, expressed shock and sadness over the heinous killing.

He condemned the act, saying eternal sorrow awaits those behind the killing both here on earth and in the hereafter.

Fraud: Capital market participants to get unique identifiers — SEC

He also mourned the dead, condoled with their families, the Catholic Church, and the state, charging emergency agencies to swing into action, and bring succour to the wounded, vowing that “no matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome the light. Nigeria will eventually win.”

Also, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Ondo berated the killings of some innocent souls in the name of whichever guise, describing it as the highest criminality everybody should rise and condemn in our society.

The association queried, “How can some people just wake up from nowhere and decide to kill or her fellow men unjustly without any recourse to the judgement of God.”

The Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria, Ondo State chapter, Rev Fr. Anselm Ologunwa, who expressed shock over the dastardly act, described the incident as ungodly.

He said the incident was one of the numerous cases happening under the security challenges facing the country and, therefore, called on President Mohammad Buhari to address this squarely.

According to him, nowhere is safe in Nigeria with the recent kidnapping of the Prelate of the Methodist church and two others on the road, the train, and on the air, and now is inside the church of God.

Ologunwa who said yesterday was the feast of the Pentecost Sunday in the history of the Catholic Church, assured the people that the Holy Spirit of God will fight for those that were killed in the incident.

He called on the Ondo State government and security agencies in the state to as a matter of urgency go after the perpetrators of this heinous act and bring them to justice.

The chairman condoled the families of those who lost their loved ones in the incident, the Catholic community, and the entire state and prayed to God to give them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

Ologunwa affirmed that the Christian Association of Nigeria, in Ondo State will continue to promote religious harmony and equal opportunities for all in the State without discrimination.

He also admonished the people of the state to complement governor Akeredolu’s effort on their security and always be security conscious.
Similarly, a presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, while commiserating with the families of those killed in the attack, described it as reprehensible in every sense of the word. “There is no place for such hatred and wanton taking of innocent lives in our nation,” he said.

A statement released by Tinubu’s media office quoted him as saying: “No one can discern the darkness in the mind of those that would kill people who were merely engaged in the harmless practice of their faith. The only thing that can be said for sure is that these perpetrators are evil and that they should be subjected to the full measure of the law and justice.”

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commiserated with his Ondo State counterpart, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi (SAN), and the State Government, over the attack and killings of worshippers at the St Francis Catholic Church.

Sanwo-Olu, who described the attack as a callous, inhuman, and despicable act, also sympathised with the people of Ondo State, especially the residents of Owo, Governor Akeredolu’s hometown, and members of the St. Francis Catholic Church.

In a condolence message issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, the governor condemned the attack by the gunmen, saying it is crime against humanity to open fire on worshippers on Sunday morning killing scores of people.

The Governor, who also commiserated with the Catholic Church of Nigeria and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the ugly incident.

Obaseki condemns Owo attack, condoles with victims’ families

•NMA calls for blood donation

The Nigerian Medical Association on its part decried the incessant blood-shedding in the country and made a call to every medical doctor in Ondo State and its environs, to mobilise themselves to participate in the treatment of the injured.

It also appealed to persons in the affected area to visit the hospitals where those injured are receiving treatment to donate blood to save lives.

The body appealed in a statement by its President, Dr Uche Ojinma, yesterday, where he lamented that “the recurrent shedding of innocent blood in our dear country has been going on for far too long and it is the position of the Nigerian Medical Association that explanations, condemnations, and reassurances are no longer comforting.

“The NMA hereby calls for quick intervention by our governments and security agencies to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians in every part of this nation. The Nigerian Medical Association commiserates with the government and good people of Ondo State over the loss of lives and prays for the quick recovery of those injured,” it said.