OWO, Nigeria (AP) — The gunmen who killed at least 50 people at a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria opened fire on worshipers both inside and outside the building in a coordinated attack before escaping the scene, authorities and witnesses said Monday.
Although Nigerian security forces have not yet identified who carried out Sunday’s attack on St. Francis Church in the town of Owo in relatively peaceful Ondo state, analysts suggested they came from elsewhere in the West African nation, which is plagued by violence from various armed groups, kidnappers and extremists.
No one has claimed responsibility for the church killings, in which children were among the dead and the gunmen detonated some kind of explosive, according to witnesses. A state lawmaker from the region said the death toll was at least 50, and scores of people were wounded, although an exact number was not released by overwhelmed hospital workers.
“The attack is undoubtedly terrorist in nature, and the scale and brutality suggests it was carefully planned rather than impulsive,” said Eric Humphery-Smith, senior Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft risk intelligence company, in an interview with The Associated Press.
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State Police Commissioner Oyeyemi Oyediran said security forces, including the military, pursued the attackers, “but unfortunately, we could not catch up with them.”
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and other government officials visited the church Monday. A day earlier, he pledged that “we will keep standing against evil, and Nigeria will win.”
Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country with 206 million people, has grappled for over a decade with an insurgency in the northeast by Islamic extremist rebels of Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province. The extremists, who have killed more than 35,000 people by a U.N. count, are fighting to establish Shariah law and to stop Western education.
Ondo, however, has long been considered one of the safer states in the country.
Sunday Adewale, who works in the palace of the local chief, said the gunmen used the element of surprise to their advantage.
“Everybody felt relaxed and had gone to church,” he said. “Within 30 minutes, they did what they wanted and went away.”
The attack came as worshippers were celebrating the feast of Pentecost, an important Catholic post-Easter holiday. Bishop Jude Arogundade said some gunmen entered the church while others stayed outside to shoot anyone who fled.
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The priest celebrating the Mass was giving the blessing to end the service when the attackers came in and opened fire, said John Nwovo, 35, who added that he narrowly escaped with his five children by running and hiding in the church’s sacristy, along with more than 30 people.
“We had to pack ourselves inside that place to take refuge from the storm,” he told AP.
