Abuja. Nigeria (AP)-Two children were among 22 faithful killed in an attack on a church in southwestern Nigeria that shocked the West African nation, an emergency services spokesman told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The dead were brought to the morgue while at least 50 wounded were still being treated at the hospital after the attack on the San Francesco Catholic church in Ovo, Ondo state, said Kadir Olanrevaju, head of the National Emergency Management Service in Ondo. in Nigeria. .
The exact number of dead is unknown because some of the deceased family members were taken to a private funeral, residents said.
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“Give gifts only to those in the hospital morgue and not to those brought to church for burial. “I don’t have this record,” Olanrevaju told the ambulance service.
Ogunmolasui Oluvole and Adelegbe Timilein, who represent Ovo in state and federal legislatures, previously told the AP that more than 50 people were killed in the attack.
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with a population of 206 million, has been fighting more than a decade of uprising in the northeast by Islamic extremist insurgents Boko Haram and its branch, the Islamic State province of Africa. western. The country now faces growing insecurity as separatists and pirates have been accused of attacks in the south of the country, while armed groups often carry out deadly attacks in the northwest.
Prior to the attack on the church, Ondo was considered one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria. But now, Ovo, a small town of merchants and government employees, located 50 miles (31 miles) from the state capital, Akuri, is suffering a violent attack on a church.
Schools and public places were closed on Tuesday and many residents were left at home, residents said.
The Ondo police command has not yet arrested or confirmed the identity of the attackers, their number being at least five, a spokesman said.
“We can only confirm that explosives were used and three unexploded devices were found on the ground,” police spokesman Odunlam Funmilayo told The Associated Press.
Police said the attackers “entered” the church building. Some of them “entered the parish, while other armed men, stationed on various sides around the church building, shot the church,” police added.
The attackers fired at the believers as the 50th mass approached, survivors said.
“No warning, no danger, this place is quiet,” said Kvira Adeval, who works at the local chief’s building. “They’re just looking for a sweet spot for people when people are relaxing.”
Source: Huffpost
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