London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Nigeria: town mourns more than 50 people shot dead in church during mass

Nigeria: town mourns more than 50 people shot dead in church during mass

Witnesses describe how attackers detonated explosives and shot at those who tried to flee
Workers cleared the pools of blood and pieces of broken pews at the Saint Francis Catholic church in south-west Nigeria on Monday, as the local community mourned more than 50 parishioners shot dead in the final moments of mass a day earlier.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killings, and Nigeria’s authorities and the police have not named any suspects.

But new details of the brazen attack emerged on Monday, as authorities and witnesses described how the unidentified assailants detonated explosives and opened fire through the windows as the ceremony ended, before entering the church and shooting at those who tried to flee from two of three exits. The attack lasted for about 20 minutes and left scores wounded.

Steven Omotayo, who lives near the church, rushed to the scene when he heard the gunshots. “I saw a lot of dead bodies – both young and old, even children,” he said.

The Catholic bishop of Ondo state, Jude Ayodeji Arogundade, also rushed to the church after the attack. “It was beyond what I ever imagined. A lot of bodies right there in the church, blood-soaked bodies,” he told local broadcaster, AIT television.

At a nearby hospital scores of wounded people, some being comforted by their families, were being treated in threadbare hospital conditions, many laying in blood-soaked bandages. Alex Michael was shot in the leg while protecting his children. “Immediately they entered and started firing everywhere, so many people,” he told Reuters.

One doctor told the AP: “Even as a physician, I have attended to a good number of casualties but what I saw yesterday was far beyond whatever I have seen before in my life.”

Pope Francis and other world leaders expressed horror and sympathy. Ondo state governor Arakunrin Akeredolu said on Monday that flags in the state would be flown at half-mast for a week. Nigerian government officials, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, have condemned the killings. “No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome light. Nigeria will eventually win,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Yet many in Nigeria are tired of waiting. Owo, a relatively peaceful town, is now the latest site of a mass killing or major attack – such events are occurring frequently, as multiple security crises overwhelm the country’s security agencies. About 3,000 people were killed by armed groups in Nigeria in the first three months of 2022, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. State police commissioner Oyeyemi Oyediran said security forces, including the military, pursued the attackers, “but unfortunately, we could not catch up with them”.

Some residents and lawmakers said they believed the attack was carried out by ethnic Fulani terrorists, sometimes known as bandits, who have staged relentless attacks predominantly in northern Nigeria but also in other parts of the country.

The groups emerged from a historical conflict between pastoralists and local communities over access to land and encroachments on private farms, and have carried out mass killings and kidnappings, exploiting a lack of rural security across the country.

Adeyemi Olayemi, a lawmaker in Ondo, said the atrocity was probably “a reprisal” in retaliation for recent restrictions by the state government on grazing in Ondo, including in forests where the assailants have carried out attacks. The restrictions were adopted after an increase in kidnappings in the state and reports of attacks and cattle encroachments on private farms.

Yet a rise in violence by various heavily armed groups, including jihadists who are increasingly active in north-west and central Nigeria, have added to the uncertainty and fears that multiple actors could be responsible.
Comments

Oh ya 3 year ago
My guess is someone who has Mohammed in his name. You know the same Mohammeds the western world is welcoming into their countries. There are parts of western cities that non Mohammeds can not enter. Nice. thank your leaders

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×