By Oluseyi Agagu (Ondo State Correspondent)
A priest and one of the eye witnesses to the Sunday morning bloody attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owo, Ondo State, Rev. Fr. Andrew Abayomi, has told the story of the incident as he witnessed it.
Father Abayomi, in his interview on Sunday, June 5, 2022, with the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Yoruba Service, just hours after the bloody attack, said the attackers suddenly invaded the church as the service was coming to a close, and unleashed the violent gunshot attacks on church faithful.
He said because many worshippers were caught unawares by the terrorists, that was why the high number of casualties were recorded.
The priest told the BBC that, “We were about to round off the 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.”
However, about 25 persons were reportedly involved in the death casualties following the attack on the Owo Catholic Church by the yet unknown gunmen who unleashed the attack on Sunday morning shortly before the Service ended.
Health workers at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, battled on Sunday to save the lives of the wounded and also attend to the dead whose blood-socked bodies were brought to the hospital by concerned persons, wailing church members, security and humanitarian agency officials.
A male on-duty health worker at the FMC Owo who prefers not to be named, revealed to NIGERIAN NEWSLEADER Correspondent in Owo, that the casualties received were even above 40.
According to him, “We well over 40 persons here in this hospital, some still alive and some already dead. We are doing our best trying to manage the situation. I am sure they're still bringing more casualties to us. It's very unfortunate the kind of country we are living in", he lamented.
At the palace of the Oluwo of Owo, there was general apprehension by the people of the Owo community. Anxiety over another possible surprise attack by the unknown terrorists pervades the air.
Confirming the incident, Spokeswoman of the Ondo State Command, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said the immediate and remote cause of the morning attack was yet to be known.
She said State Commissioner of Police was on his way to the scene of the incident to ascertain the actual cause of the attack, as there were conflicting reports of the incident.
The bloody incident however drew public outrage and heightened fear of public safety in the once peaceful town of Owo in Ondo state.
Both governor Olurotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state and the the Monarch of the Owo Kingdom, the Oluwo of Owo, His Imperial Majesty, Alayeluwa Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, the 32nd paramount ruler of Owo kingdom, were shocked at the terror attack. The governor has declared that government will fish out the attackers and bring them to justice.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the attack in very strong terms, blaming the action on sheer human wickedness. Buhari however charged the Humanitarian agencies of government to intervene and bring succor to the victims. NNL.
Video Footage Of The Incident (Viewer Discretion Is Advised):
