Ondo church attack: I heard four explosives, priest, others recount ordeal

By Tosin Ajuwon

Fr. Andrew Adeniyi Abayomi, the Assistant Parish Priest at St Francis Catholic Church, at Owa-luwa, in Owo, Ondo State, has narrated how gunmen attacked worshippers at the premises on Sunday.

Fr Abayomi was the Priest conducting Mass during the brutal attack.

Abayomi who spoke to journalists at the Church premises on Monday said he had heard about four explosives during the attack which left scores of people dead and dozens injured.

According to him, the gunmen struck as the church service was coming to end.

He said: “From what I can still recall, towards the close of the mass, in fact, I had told the people, ‘go forth, the Mass is ended’, and they responded. It was at that moment we held a loud noise, within me, I thought somebody fell but when I looked at the sanctuary, I saw one of us who could have seen the gunmen from outside.

“So, he quickly closed the door, from that moment, a message got to me on the sanctuary that armed gunmen were around.

“From that moment, I told the people, to enter the sacred, it is a place behind the sanctuary, to have an escape route. Like me, I ran to the inner room with some children and they were saying father pray, pray! And I told them to calm down. So, within that moment, I heard about four explosives.

Abayomi said: “I didn’t see their faces because already, some of us had moved inside the other part of the church where people were using as escape.

“After over 20 minutes, where I was, I was able to pick my phone, then call the parish priest (the pastor in-charge), because I am an assistant.

“Father where are you, he said he was still at this other places where he had gone to celebrate Mass. I told him, these is what is happening, if you have the contact of security agencies, please call them. Then, I called the first assistant too.

“So, after 20 minutes, I got to know that they’ve gone. That was when I came out and I saw the casualties lying on the floor. So, I called members who still have courage, let us drive our brothers and sisters to the hospital, DailyTimes gathered.

“When I was going to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, I was told that St. Louis Catholic Hospital, Owo is filled already and rejecting people. Even, when when I got to FMC, they were already rejecting people and I had to begged them that even if it is to attend to them outside”, the Priest added.

Another eyewitness who was in the church, Mr Ezenma, said most of the victims were women and children.

He said: “I was in the church and I had gunshots along the gate, I came out from the church and I saw a tall man with long face cap, he shot the gun at my side but I guess he didn’t see me. He shot another one again, then I told myself, who is this foolish man shooting gun here? He shot another one, so, I knew there was danger.

“So, I went back inside and I locked the entrance door. Before I could peep through the window, the man was already going through the right side of the church and entered through the other door and he started shooting gun. The shooting was too much.

“Then, I had a sound like bomb, after I regained myself, I looked up and I told myself that the church has not fallen because I was thinking that that bomb will bring it down. They repeated it again and was also shooting. I wanted to jump through the window but I thought some of them could still be outside,” Kingsley added.

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Owo local government chapter has protested against the killing calling on international bodies to intervene.

They carried placards with various inscriptions such as: Stop killing Christians; stop playing politics with our lives; to be united needs peace; address insecurity in Nigeria; stop the persecution of Christians among others.

The Chairman of the association, Joshua Oladapo said, “We Christian leaders in Owo local government have come out to express our dissatisfaction, displeasure over the killing in one of our Christian Church.

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“We feel so sad with the evil occurrence. This is a Clarion call to not only Nigerian leaders but to the international communities that these incessant attacks most especially to churches and Christian bodies in our nation should not continue.”

Meanwhile, the Police in the state has continued to keep sealed mouth over the total number of casualties that were affected by the attack on the church.

When contacted on Monday by our correspondent, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Funmilayo Odunlami said she could not give account of the figure.