THE "BLACK SUNDAY" OWO CHURCH MASSACRE, DEADLIEST IN NIGERIA

Did you know that there have been 34 separate attacks in Nigeria on church premises in 2022, and that the Owo Catholic church attack where 40 were killed is the deadliest so far?

It was Sunday, 5 June 2022 and the setting was St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in the Owo local government area of Ondo State, southwestern Nigeria. Worshippers had gathered inside the church at around 11:30 AM (GMT+1) to attend Mass and to celebrate Pentecost, when a group of men entered the church disguised as congregants, but carrying bags that contained firearms, while another group took positions outside the church. 

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were detonated outside the church to cause pandemonium as both groups began firing on worshippers. While those outside the church shot directly into it, those disguised as congregants also fired from inside. A boy selling candy at the entrance was shot as well as worshippers who were trying to reach two open sets of doors as the main entrance was locked. Passersby also were struck by bullets. 

After the attack, the gunmen fled the scene using a stolen Nissan Sunny, leaving at least 40 people dead, with the highest estimates being around 80. Later, videos of inside of the church showed bodies of victims lying in pools of blood across the floor. Two police officers were among those killed.

Recounting the incident, Fr Andrew Adeniyi Abayomi, a priest who survived the massacre said: "the attack took place when the church [was] 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." 

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) later said on Tuesday, 7 June that at least 22 dead bodies from the attack were in the local hospital's morgue, including two children, and that at least 58 had been injured. Many of the dead bodies at the church had been taken by their family members to a private burial at home, indicating a higher death toll. However, on Thursday, 9 June, the government revised its death toll to at least 40, saying that 61 injured survivors were still in the hospital. Another wounded victim died of his injuries later on. At least five children are confirmed to have been killed in the attack.

The massacre was received with widespread shock from the Nigerian public in the aftermath of the attack. The response by President Muhammadu Buhari was criticized as inadequate, and the president sparked controversy after he was caught hosting a party with other members of his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), hours after the attack.

On Sunday, 12 June, the Amotekun Corps, the state security outfit, announced deployment of its forces to protect churches and mosques in the state. Local elders, including Owo's king Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, attempted to calm anger among the residents after the massacre, in order to prevent reprisal attacks.

The attack made headlines across the world, with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need issuing a statement denouncing the attack and calling on world leaders to firmly and explicitly condemn the terrorist attack. Meanwhile, a state funeral for the victims was organized by Nigerian authorities on Friday, 17 June. Though no group has yet claimed responsibility, some in the federal government suspected the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) of carrying out the massacre, an allegation that the governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu said was "too hasty" since ISWAP tends to take responsibility for its attacks.

Numerous Owo locals from the Yoruba ethnic group have accused members of the Hausa and Fulani herdsmen groups of complicity. Police found three undetonated improvised explosive devices at the scene, as well as several shells from AK-47 ammunition. Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola said police were pursuing the culprits. 

On Thursday, 23 June, the Amotekun Corps announced that it had arrested some of the suspects and seized evidentiary weapons and vehicles. In August 2022, the Nigerian military announced the arrests of another six suspects and added that one of them was an ISWAP leader who was planning more attacks. Akeredolu meanwhile announced the arrest of a person accused of having provided housing to the suspects before the attack was carried out.

According to data collected by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, there have already been 34 separate attacks on church premises so far in 2022. Earlier, in 2020 there were 19, and in 2021 there were 33. The data shows 1,664 persons have died in targeted attacks against churches, 390 persons sustained different forms of injuries, and 188 sanctuaries have been burnt or destroyed by terror arsonists since 2010.

Sources:

https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-terrorist-attacks-on-churches-in-nigeria-188605

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owo_church_attack