How terrorists attacked Owo church, priest narrates

One of the priests at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owo, Ondo State, Rev Father Andrew Abayomi, has narrated how the church was attacked by terrorists on Sunday.

Speaking with BBC Yoruba, the cleric said the terrorists attacked as the day’s service was coming to an end.

Rev. 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.”

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 tranquility 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.”

The Owo church attack had left the community perplexed as newsmen gathered that over 40 people were killed by the marauding terrorists, including children and women.

Quite a number of notable personalities have condemned the attack, with some describing it as an attack on the Yoruba people.